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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24248839">Is It Your Time?</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/codevassie/pseuds/codevassie'>codevassie</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Sanders Sides (Web Series)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Allegory, Alternate Universe - Human, Autumn, Betting, Claustrophobia, Descriptions of a dead body, Drowning, Fear, Forests, General Danger, Ghosts, Jealousy, Lost in the Woods, M/M, Minor Logicality, Minor Sensory Deprivation, Morally Ambiguous Deceit | Janus Sanders, Morally ambiguous Remus, OTGW-Inspired AU, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Slight Identity Crisis, Supernatural Elements, Vomiting, death mention, heights, no knowledge of otgw needed, start of an anxiety attack</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-05-19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-11-08</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-02 21:08:18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>8</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>35,905</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24248839</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/codevassie/pseuds/codevassie</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Being lost in the woods didn’t help Virgil’s anxiety in the slightest. With his friends, though, at least he wasn’t alone out there.</p><p>But as they look for the way out, they find strange things--and people--throughout the forest. Things that mean them harm and people who might not want them to leave.</p><p>Maybe finding the way home isn’t their biggest worry…</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Anxiety | Virgil Sanders/Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>43</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. “You’re more lost than you realize…”</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>In regards to Janus' name: I'll still be using 'Dee' for the majority of this fic, but I will have a short bit where 'Janus' is also used. The change is explained, so don't worry about getting thrown off guard. </p><p>In regards to OTGW: You don't have to know anything about Over the Garden Wall to read this. There are elements that inspired it, but the plot diverges significantly.</p><p>Chapter Warnings: Drowning</p>
    </blockquote><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>“You’re more lost than you realize…”</p><p>- Over the Garden Wall</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <strong> <span class="u">Part One</span> </strong>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Sometimes </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em> People take a wrong turn </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em> And lose their way </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em> Where none can find them </em>
</p>
<p><br/>
<br/>
</p>
<p>
  <em> Among the riverbeds and subtle glow </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em> The shadows, the pews, the eyes, </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em> In gloomy trees and biting wind </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em> Under gilded frames </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em> Above rows of stones </em>
</p>
<p><br/>
<br/>
</p>
<p>
  <em> In a clearing </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em> In the middle of the Wood</em>
</p>
<p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p>
<p>
  <em> Can a wrong turn mend?  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>-/-</p>
<p> </p>
<p>"I don't think I've seen a single squirrel so far."</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The forest was pleasant...to look at. Some of the trees were still thick with leaves, despite their lack of life. It was altogether rather brown. The leaves were brown; the trunks of the trees and the forest floor were brown. The sunlight made the browns look warm, though. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>"Isn't that strange? It's morning, so we've had to have been here for hours, but no squirrels."</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The breeze was weak and barely nudged the flimsiest of leaves from their branches. Virgil's hoodie was thick enough to keep the chill at bay, but he stuck his hands in his pockets nonetheless. Patton's words, despite their relaxed nature, were making him nervous. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>"You're right," Virgil spoke up, looking around them as he tugged at his pockets. "We've been walking for too long. I think we're really lost." </p>
<p> </p>
<p>"I'm not even tired either," Patton piped in. He had paint in his hair. A big glob of blue, with a bit of yellow on one end. "Usually when I walk for long periods of time my legs get all strained, but I feel fine!"</p>
<p> </p>
<p>"Patton," Virgil said, suddenly stopping. He could taste dull panic in his throat, but he shook off the sharpest traces of it, electing to focus on the more pressing matter at hand. "Aren't you concerned?"</p>
<p> </p>
<p>"Concerned?" Patton looked around, eyes narrowing a bit as he took in the constant scenery around them. Almost as if catching himself, he perked back up and turned to Virgil. "Maybe a little. We'll find our way, though; I'm sure of it," he shrugged. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>"Okay, but how sure is that?" Virgil asked, unable to put a tamper on his anxiety. "Do you know where we're going? What if we're lost and can't find our way back? What if we end up mauled by a bear? What if we starve because we can't find any food?"</p>
<p> </p>
<p>"Hey, hey there," Patton said, voice suddenly soothing. Virgil felt humiliation quickly color his face as he realized he'd let his fears get the better of him. Still, they did not disappear. He bit down on his lip to keep any more from coming out. "It's going to be alright," Patton continued, stepping into Virgil's line of sight. "We'll find our way home, and we'll find food if it takes us a bit longer. No biggy."</p>
<p> </p>
<p>"Do you know how to forage food in the wilderness?" Virgil asked, feeling both silly and very right in his worries. He saw a shred of doubt enter Patton's eyes and his heart skipped a beat. Before he could say anything, though, Patton suddenly shouted.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>"I just saw someone!" Patton pointed over Virgil's shoulder and Virgil spun just in time to watch a figure dart between the trees. "Maybe they can help!" Patton exclaimed and darted away before Virgil could protest.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>"Wait!" Virgil yelled, already following after. Great, Patton was probably chasing after a <em> serial killer </em>.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Virgil's long legs made it easy to catch up to Patton. However, this helped none when the other boy suddenly stopped, causing Virgil to knock right into him, toppling them both to the ground.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>"Well, aren't you two coordinated?" A sarcastic voice sounded from above, and Virgil, slightly dazed, slightly buzzed at the sound of someone he didn't know, glanced up. Heterochromatic eyes stared back at him.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>"Who are you?" Virgil demanded, struggling to get off Patton–both to make sure the boy wasn't hurt and to get to his feet as quickly as he could. It wasn't very dignified, and the blandly amused look in their direction was enough for Virgil to know the man thought so too.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Once he was to his feet, though, Virgil was able to get a good look at the man. He had been right; the eyes were two different shades, one brown and the other yellow, bright like a cat's. Or a…</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Virgil blinked. Once. Twice. It didn't go away. This man really had scales trailing one side of his face. Like a snake.</p>
<p> </p>
<p><em> Serial killer </em> , his brain supplied again. <em> Serial killer with a weird MO hiding out in the woods waiting for innocent victims like you to get lost and never to be heard from again. </em></p>
<p> </p>
<p>"Hi!" Patton greeted, finally able to get to his feet. "I'm Patton. This is Virgil. We're kind of lost. If you could, it'd be great if you pointed us in the right direction to town?"</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Without a word, the man continued to scrutinize them. He didn't seem to find anything worth noting, going by the bored look in his eyes, yet he continued to stare. Virgil's danger alarms were going wild.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Patton, who seemed ever oblivious, in Virgil's opinion, caught on to this too. He shifted a little before speaking up again, voice cheery, but a bit more awkward this time.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>"Sorry, I guess I should have asked your name first. We've just been a bit scattered, so I guess I forgot my manners." Patton chuckled nervously. There was silence again, and the man arched his eyebrow, becoming amused once more. Virgil's danger alarms lowered a fraction to allow annoyance to shine through.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>"Dee…" the man finally said, and Patton and Virgil both jumped. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>"I- I'm sorry?" Patton squeaked, backing up to stand a bit closer to Virgil. Virgil approved. Safety in numbers, even if it was just the number two.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>"My name is Dee," the man clarified, and Patton relaxed a smidge.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>"Oh!" he laughed, patting Virgil's arm with a subtle sigh of relief. "Lovely name. Is it short for something?"</p>
<p> </p>
<p>"No," Dee said simply, cooly examining his nails. Virgil didn't like this guy. Virgil did not like any of this.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>"Okay! Well, nice to meet you, Dee," Patton said. "So, about those directions-"</p>
<p> </p>
<p>"No," Dee said again, this time cutting Patton off sharply. Virgil stepped forward, ready to fight or flight the fuck out of there. He grabbed Patton's hand.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>"Let's get out of here," Virgil murmured, tugging at Patton. Patton was rooted to the spot, though, watching Dee in concern. Damn it, now wasn't the time for Patton's golden heart. They were literally about to be murdered, or kidnapped, or something else equally horrifying.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>"Why not?" Patton asked. He squeezed Virgil's hand in reassurance, but it did nothing to help. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>"No one can escape the Wood," Dee replied, and Virgil was not fucking having that.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>"Patton…" he said, voice a warning. He wanted to get out of there <em> now </em>. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Dee sighed, as if annoyed, and took a step back. Patton, eyes full of worry and doubt, took one with Virgil.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>"Bye, then," Dee said, watching them go with a frown. Virgil led Patton further, unwilling to hear anything else this creep had to say. Patton, however, lagged in order to hear.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>"The woods are sure to swallow you whole."</p>
<p> </p>
<p>-/-</p>
<p> </p>
<p>As soon as Virgil was able to drag Patton away, he zig-zagged them throughout the forest until there was no way Mr. Reptilian Killer could find them. While initially this was a source of comfort for Virgil, secure in his knowledge they hadn't been followed, it quickly became apparent that they were more lost than ever.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>"That's it, then," he said, pacing back and forth in front of the spot Patton had collapsed to rest. He claimed his legs were finally starting to hurt, but Virgil could tell it was just an excuse to calm him down.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Virgil wasn't sure how he'd come to know Patton's inner workings so well in the short time they'd talked to one another.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>"We're really gonna die here," Virgil paced, waiting for a burn in his legs to distract him. It never came.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>"We're not going to die, Virgil," Patton said, and his voice was really soothing. Virgil stopped pacing to face him, tugging at the hair at the back of his neck.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>"How do you <em> know </em>?" he demanded.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Suddenly, Patton rose to his feet, stepping closer. Virgil appreciated the distance he left between them, where he could access air and the realm of control he kept in it. "Okay, Virgil. What I need you to do is close your eyes for a second. Have you ever used sensations to calm down?"</p>
<p> </p>
<p>"Wha- sensations?" Virgil asked, eyes wide and confused. The only way he'd ever calmed down before was having his mind play on repeat <em> Calm down calm down calm down calm down calm down you idiot... </em></p>
<p> </p>
<p>"Yes, sensations." Patton said, then waved at his eyes. Reluctantly, Virgil closed them. He could feel them twitch, too paranoid of his surroundings to feel comfortable like this, but he kept them closed. "Like, what's something you can feel right now?"</p>
<p> </p>
<p>"Feel?" Virgil asked, and he felt stupid for all his questions. Patton, however, patiently hummed in reply and said nothing else. In the silence, Virgil was forced to think. "Feel…" he contemplated, focusing in on the pads of his fingers, stuffed into his hoodie pockets. "My jacket."</p>
<p> </p>
<p>"Yeah?" Patton said, but it was so soft that it could have been carried away on the wind–the wind which tickled Virgil's neck and the tips of his hair.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>"The wind," he contributed further. What else? "I- I don't know what else."</p>
<p> </p>
<p>"That's good. What about smell?"</p>
<p> </p>
<p>There was nothing to smell, though. Virgil frowned, lifting his nose a little and wondering what a sight he made right now. He tried to focus on Patton's task.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>"Dead leaves," he said, catching a whiff as the breeze changed directions. "It's one of my favorite smells," he continued, then his shoulders rose, realizing that he'd overshared. Patton didn't take it like that, though. Patton didn't seem to have a negative bone in his body.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>"I love that smell too. And what do you hear?"</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Hear. That would be an easy one. The forest always had lots of sounds. Nature was noisy.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>But, when Virgil listened, he couldn't find the noises of birds or smaller creatures scurrying about. He remembered what Patton had said about not seeing any squirrels.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Suddenly, the woods felt a lot more eerie, and the urge to open his eyes again was far too great.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>He was greeted with Patton's bright blue eyes and the browns of the forest, far duller than they were before. Patton scrunched his eyebrows.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>"Virgil, you aren't supposed to open your eyes yet."</p>
<p> </p>
<p>"I don't hear anything," Virgil said. There was fear in his voice.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Patton frowned. "Please try one more time?" he asked, and Virgil could tell there was room to decline, to stop there and then, but something made Patton want to continue. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Virgil took a deep breath. The forest wasn't that scary. Closing his eyes for a few more seconds wouldn't hurt.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>He shut them, accustoming himself to the dark again. He felt his hoodie, and the breeze, picking back up. He smelled the leaves. He heard…</p>
<p> </p>
<p>"I hear the leaves in the wind. The wind's really slow." Virgil listened closer. No animals. He tried not to think about that. "Water. There's a stream close by, I think."</p>
<p> </p>
<p>"Really?" Patton asked. "I don't hear it."</p>
<p> </p>
<p>"Yeah," Virgil replied, eyes still closed as he pointed the best he could. "Coming from that way."</p>
<p> </p>
<p>"Wow. You've got great hearing, Virgil," Patton said, voice still soft, but, if Virgil didn't know any better, he'd say there was pride there. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Suddenly, Virgil opened his eyes again, meaning dawning on him.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>"Virg-" Patton went to say, pouting from the open eyes, but Virgil interrupted him.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>"A stream," he said. "We have to follow it!"</p>
<p> </p>
<p>"What?" Patton asked, confused, as Virgil led them through the trees, a new optimism boosting his steps.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>"Towns settle naturally near water, so if there's a stream then we can follow it."</p>
<p> </p>
<p>"And find town! Perfect, Virgil!" Patton said, and he readily followed after, winding between trees toward the growing sound of rushing water. It was beginning to sound more than a stream.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>"A river!" Patton exclaimed as they got to it. "Wow, you <em> really </em> have good ears, Virgil. This was pretty far."</p>
<p> </p>
<p>"What is that?" Virgil asked, stepping closer to the running water. Patton came to stand at his side, and they averted their gaze in sync.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Below, a bluish-whitish glow emanated from the river, subtle enough that it wouldn't be noticed from afar. However, up close, it was impossible to mistake. "The river's glowing," Virgil said in awe. "How the <em> fuck </em> is the river glowing?"</p>
<p> </p>
<p>"It's not the river," Patton said, shaking his head. He pointed, motioning for Virgil to look closer. "It's what's on the bottom." </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Virgil squinted, trying to tell through the rushing water what it could be. Despite the ripples, he spotted his reflection for a moment, sunken eyes and a large gash on his lip. The bandage was gone. He grimaced and leaned forward, looking past the surface, to the bottom.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>"Are those… rocks?"</p>
<p> </p>
<p>"It looks like it," Patton replied. "A thousand tiny little pebbles, all glowing at the bottom of the river." Patton knelt down on the bank, trying to get a better view. Virgil couldn't stop gawking.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>"That should be impossible."</p>
<p> </p>
<p>"I'm beginning to think there's a whole lot of impossible going on around here," Patton said. Virgil had no clue what that meant. Then, as if Patton didn't have an ounce of sense in his body, he stuck his hand in the stream.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>"What are you doing?" Virgil hissed, sinking down to his knees beside him. Patton already had water up to his arm, knees brushing the water and soaking his jeans.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>"I want to grab one. I bet Logan-"</p>
<p> </p>
<p>But that's all Virgil heard from him before Patton slipped, falling headfirst into the water. "Patton!" Virgil yelled, reaching to grab him, but it was too late. Patton was rapidly tumbling upstream, led by the uncontrollable force of the water. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Virgil was quick to get to his feet and give chase, not willing to take his eyes off Patton's spinning form for a second. It looked as though he was struggling for air, gasping anytime he breached the surface and receiving a mouthful of water for his troubles. If Virgil could manage to get a hold of him, if Patton veered closer to the shore in all the disoriented tumbling, if Virgil didn't fall in too…</p>
<p> </p>
<p>"Patton," Virgil had been shouting the name over and over, unsure as to why if Patton couldn't even hear him. Now it came out in harsh whispers, torn apart by his ragged breath. "Patton…. Patton…."</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Suddenly, Patton went under again and Virgil couldn't find him. His voice was still hoarse, but that didn't stop his yell. "Patton!"</p>
<p> </p>
<p>He looked around this way and that. Maybe he had come up and continued downstream. Or maybe he was at the bottom of the river, unsure of which way was up or down. Did he know to curl in a ball to float to the top? Urgh, he would have been doing that already if he'd known! Virgil only knew that because he had a habit of preparing (Googling) for the worst during sleepless nights.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>None of those nights had been devoted to getting lost in the woods. Karma's a bitch!</p>
<p> </p>
<p>"Patton!" he yelled once more, feeling as tears sprung to his eyes. Should he jump in? "No no no. This can't be happening."</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Then, Virgil spotted a head of hair upstream, bobbing away on the current. He jumped into action.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>He ran and ran and chased that head of hair, brown and sopping and it <em> had </em> to be Patton. It had to be Patton <em> alive </em>. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>But, despite his long legs, and despite the adrenaline coursing through his veins and the desperation screaming in his soul, Virgil was starting to fall behind. The hair was nothing more than a blip on his vision.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>"No!" he gasped, running, running, running. "No…! No…!"</p>
<p> </p>
<p>It was too late. He'd lost it.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Tears were running down his face. Virgil stopped long after it had disappeared, hoping in vain to catch up. When his legs ceased and his hands planted on each knee to catch his breath, he was trembling all over.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>He had lost Patton. He had let him get away.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>He could have let him <em> die </em>.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Was Patton even still alive, hurtling down that river, or had Virgil been trailing someone long gone? Was it Virgil's fault that Patton would never get home?</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Virgil looked up, down the stream, Patton-less. His eyes shakily took in the trees, the forest awaiting him. It looked darker. The sunlight was dimming, and the shadows were growing longer, like they were reaching out to get him.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>He heard whispers. Doubts. Regrets. Fears.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Patton was gone.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Patton was <em> gone </em>.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>And Virgil…</p>
<p> </p>
<p>He looked around, noticing how the trees went on and on, without break, without anyone else, or anything else. There were the trees, there was the river, there were more and more trees. Virgil could walk through them forever.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>And never be found.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>He was all alone.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Hi, folks! In case you were wondering, yesss I loved seeing 'Into the Unknown' by The Blasting Company on Janus' playlist. It's not what inspired this AU, since I've been working on this story for... an embarrassingly long time, but it has encouraged me a bit.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. “With lonely footsteps he may yet be passing through an unseen multitude…”</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>“With lonely footsteps he may yet be passing through an unseen multitude…”</p><p>- from Young Goodman Brown by Nathaniel Hawthorne</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Chapter Warnings: Description of a dead body, Vomiting, Start of an anxiety attack</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Virgil continued walking along the river. It was dangerous, that little shred of hope in his heart that watched out for Patton, but it was more dangerous to be without. So he clung to it.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He clung to it like the sky clung to the sun at evening, like it clung to the reds and oranges that spread watercolor hues as a sky of autumn leaves.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He clung and watched the colors sap away.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Draining into an empty night.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Now, he clung to it like the shadows to the ground. Uneasily, Virgil noticed they weren't quite fading away as they should. It had to have been his paranoia.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He kept his eyes on them, watching the trees’ shadows stretch, like they were reaching for him, like they were hungry to lick the ground he tread. They couldn't go far from the forest, but they were insistent–especially now when they shouldn't have been out anymore, without light as aid for their darkness.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The sun was gone, and the moon was out. The shadows were… from the moonshine? It didn't seem possible. Virgil could never understand if his instincts were reliable. His mind was always lying to him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Logically, the shadows shouldn't be out anymore. Or, logically, they were cast from the light of the moon.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was all circles. Logic wasn't a thing his brain understood.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Or maybe logic wasn't a thing that existed around there. </span>
  <em>
    <span>A whole lot of impossible</span>
  </em>
  <span>, Patton had said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maybe they were farther from home than they'd thought.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Virgil cast his eyes towards the river again. It bubbled slowly, innocently, as if it could never rip someone from shore. It reflected the glint of the moon, the eerie glow of all those stupid pebbles. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He quaked a little thinking about Patton, alone somewhere upstream. It was unsettling thinking of him on his own, afraid, probably frozen to the bone from his little dip. It was chilling thinking of the alternative…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Washed up, glassy eyes mirroring the pinpricks of the stars, skin growing chalky even as the river made his flesh soggy. One of those glowing stones would be grasped tightly in hand, having clutched it on instinct as he'd been ripped away from shore. Patton was stubborn. He wouldn't have let go of it.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Virgil gasped, covering his eyes and willing the image to go away. He tripped on his way to the edge of the trees, just in time to hurl up the little food he'd had in his stomach. For a moment, he stood there, bent over and shaking. The ordeal left him exhausted--the entire day had left him exhausted.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He had spent nearly his whole life alone in one way or another, yet Virgil couldn't imagine feeling more lonely than he did now. He was completely cut off from civilization--couldn't even hang on to the one person he'd had--who, for some reason, had </span>
  <em>
    <span>wanted</span>
  </em>
  <span> to be around him. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>If Patton was still out there, this would be the end of ever wanting to befriend Virgil. Virgil should just feel relieved if he found the boy in one piece, but he was selfish. He mourned the loss of a friendship never gained. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Better that," he gasped to himself, desperate to hear any sort of voice in the vacuum that surrounded him, "Than mourning the loss of his life."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Putting it so plainly, aloud, was too close to final for Virgil's taste. He closed his mouth.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He did the same with his eyes, blocking out the sight of the impossible shadows at night. He could still hear their whispers. It couldn't have been his head, though it honestly sounded a lot like it. Virgil could tell fiction from reality enough to know when sounds came from outside of himself.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Never to be found…</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>All alone…</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was disconcerting, especially now with his eyes closed. That sensation thing that Patton had taught him did nothing to help. All the sensations were too scary to ponder. Avoidance, his old friend, was his best bet at the moment.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>So he blocked it all out. The less he allowed into his head, the better. It felt like he was on hyperdrive, over-aware of every little thing that wasn't there, that should have been there, scurrying, blowing about, creating noise, sound, that was supposed to be constant in the woods.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Was this what a sensory deprivation chamber felt like? Oh boy, they really weren't kidding when they said it'd drive you mad.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>There was this band Virgil listened to, and they had this one lyric: "The sound of madness." That was this. Lacking and stunning all at once. Virgil was shaking now.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Then, there was noise. Leaves crunching, someone approaching. Virgil's head whipped up, making him dizzy with the motion and now lack of nutrition in his stomach. He swayed, grateful he was still holding on to the tree.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He was still blinking black spots from his eyes when whoever it was stopped, not too far away from the sound of it. "Virgil?" they asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Virgil's eyes widened, and he shook his head to clear his vision. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Blue eyes. Black-framed glasses. Virgil's heart leaped, despite his head already having caught on. Their voices were different. Virgil took in the black collared shirt, the blue tie, the concerned but level expression.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Logan?" he asked in return, incredulous. "What are you doing here?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Logan stepped forward, pushing his glasses further up his nose. "I was going to inquire of you the same, yet, as you've now asked me, I will answer that…" Logan scrunched his nose in distaste, looking about them as if a clue would spring up miraculously, "Well, I do not know."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Virgil slumped a bit, and he realized he had hoped Logan might know. If anyone were to, he'd bet it'd be Logan. "I guess we're really freaking lost then," he sighed, and rested his shoulders back on the tree. The bush beside him was starting to stink from his puke, but he was too tired to care. It was all he could do to stay standing.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Was Patton not with you?" Logan asked, eyes coming back to rest on Virgil. At the mention of the boy, Virgil's heart seized. He looked away, a dark expression crossing his features. Not too far off, the river gurgled, and Virgil couldn't think of a sound he hated more.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He almost wished for that deafening silence once more. Then again, how had he </span>
  <em>
    <span>not</span>
  </em>
  <span> heard the river earlier? He hadn't smelled the rancid stench coming from the bush either, which would have started stinking all too soon. He'd been hyperventilating too, so what about the sound of his own breathing?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Everything had been gone. How?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Virgil?" Logan asked, and Virgil wasn't good at identifying emotions, but there was something in there. Logan was feeling something. He bet Patton would understand.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I don't know where Patton is," he explained, closing his eyes and knocking his head back against the tree. "He- he fell in the river and washed upstream. I've been looking for him since." His voice was hollow. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Logan was silent for a second and Virgil, his eyes still closed, was afraid when he opened them he'd finally be able to read Logan's expression. And it would be anger. Fiery and scorching anger. He couldn't really imagine Logan angry, to be honest. Maybe more so than Patton. But there was only one outcome his losing Patton could warrant, surely.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>When Logan spoke, though, it wasn't angry at all. Maybe a little tight, but it wasn't from anger. "Well," Logan said, voice an acoustic string, "I happen to know that Patton is a strong swimmer. We will need to continue upstream in order to find him."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Virgil opened his eyes. He </span>
  <em>
    <span>could</span>
  </em>
  <span> read Logan's expression. It was subtle, but it was there. Logan was scared for Patton.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"We better go now if we want to catch up. Also, we need to find Roman too."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Virgil blinked, pushing away from the tree. "Roman's here too?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Logan nodded. "We were also separated. The idiot thought he saw something in the trees and chased after it."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Virgil rolled his eyes, but, on the inside, he worried too. That meant all four of them were there. If Virgil nor Logan knew where the hell they were, how were Roman and Patton supposed to? How were they supposed to find them when they were just as lost themselves? </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Guess it's up to us, then," Virgil said, like it was a chore. He went to walk to Logan, ready to get out of there, if not to find Roman and Patton, then to get away from the smell of his own vomit. As he stepped away from the tree, though, he felt something tug at his ankle. He almost fell, but righted himself just in time.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Looking down, he sucked in a breath, catching sight of what had tripped him up. As he watched, a sliver of shadow, ghostly and nothing but faint difference reflected on the ground, slithered back to its place. He blinked, sure he had to be seeing things.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"What is it?" Logan asked, walking toward him. Virgil turned back with wide eyes–looked again at the ground, then back at Logan. He shook his head.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I don't know."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Logan stopped in his tracks, brow furrowing.  He didn't particularly like that phrase, did he? Not from himself, but also when it prevented him getting information he desired from others. He opened his mouth, probably to ask, but Virgil didn't want to explain; didn't want to look any crazier than he had when Logan had walked up.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He just wanted to find Patton. And Roman too, he guessed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Let's just go," Virgil said, able to walk away normally this time.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Logan remained in the clearing, looking about for answers, for clues, for facts–just a few seconds longer. He must have found nothing because when Logan did follow, he looked disappointed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>-/-</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Virgil had decided he was willing to follow the river forever when it suddenly stopped. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"That's not possible," Logan glared at it, and he almost looked angry at the river's complete lack of logic. He'd already ran Virgil's ear off about the glowing stones, citing different phosphorescents that could be the cause.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>So that's what Logan looked like angry. Noted.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But he was right; what the river did then shouldn't have been possible. One moment, it was trickling along slowly, then, it had ceased. A wall of Earth kept it in place, none of it flooding over, despite water cascading down the stream more by the minute. It didn't even seem to errode the dry bank. It was as if someone had snapped their fingers and called off its motion, and the river had obeyed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"This place is way too weird," Virgil grumbled, looking around. There was no sign of Patton.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Which meant… If Patton wasn't there… then he must have left. Which meant he must have gotten up, must have walked away. Which meant, Patton </span>
  <em>
    <span>must have been alive</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Virgil's pulse jackrabbited and he continued scanning the area. Where would he have gone? Back downstream, looking for Virgil? Would Virgil and Logan need to double back?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Wait, what's that?" Virgil said, eyes catching on something poking from the treetops. Something… metal?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"It looks to be a steeple," Logan said, voice leveling back out now that he had something he understood. Virgil squinted, standing on his tip toes and, yeah, he could see it now–metal spire and a tower-like structure.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Let's go in," Virgil said. They pushed back into the woods, careful to keep their sights on the steeple or, when they couldn't see through the foliage, on the direction they knew it to be. It didn't take all that long to get there. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was a simple building–a very traditional, rundown, white-washed church, complete with a tall steeple, arched windows, and semicircle of steps up to the wooden double doors. It reminded Virgil of visiting his grandparents in their slow, sleepy town, and when the town came to life Sunday mornings on the steps of the church. Their own town, as small as it was, was only ever active at Friday night football games.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>This church, however, didn't look like it'd ever been alive like that–or like it'd seen a living soul for at least a decade.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Why did you stop?" Logan asked, coming to rest beside him. Virgil looked over like he was crazy.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"It's obviously haunted."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Ghosts don't exist, Virgil," Logan said. "Now, if you were scared of a rodent invasion within the building, then I would have to agree, but the evidence of spectral phenomena-"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Alright, fine," Virgil said, already sensing a losing battle and pushing forward. "Let's go in."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>When Virgil opened the doors, he hadn't been expecting as many pews as there were. As soon as Logan saw it, he immediately got peeved again. "Impossible," he growled. Virgil took that as his queue to step in, against every fiber in his body telling him to turn back. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Frankly, he was a lot more afraid of Logan's wrath than any of the ghosts that </span>
  <em>
    <span>had to be there, come on</span>
  </em>
  <span>. The ghosts better stay hidden, honestly, or their very existence would send Logan over the edge and they'd </span>
  <em>
    <span>all</span>
  </em>
  <span> have to face that fury. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Virgil walked up the middle aisle, taking in the rows and rows and rows and rows…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He'd seen this place from the outside. This many pews shouldn't be able to fit this nicely. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>There were windows lining the sanctuary, and a grand one imposing over the pulpit, letting in amber light that stained the walls. As he moved forward, his eyes became transfixed to the stage.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Logan, don’t look over here,” Virgil warned, not sure if he feared his company’s sanity or his own life more in the moment. A silence alerted Virgil that Logan didn’t listen to him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He didn’t react as badly as Virgil had thought.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“The glowing pebbles,” Logan said, walking forward. He had a speculative look on his face, only the furrow of his brows giving that he was irked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>There were just as many there as there were on the riverbed, scattered across every surface of the stage, piled like a dragon’s hoard of gold and jewels. Out of the constant push and pull of the river, it became apparent that their glow had a subtle pulse to it, reflecting off the amber walls of the room like waves of the ocean.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You’re taking this a lot better all of a sudden,” Virgil said, still wary of Logan’s mental state. If this was the calm before the storm, then Virgil didn’t want to be close when the thunder rolled in.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“At this point, I have taken it upon myself to compartmentalize the situation. The only way forward seems to be to accept our surroundings and perhaps learn from the interesting phenomena presented.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You’re a bit weird,” Virgil said, quirking an amused brow at the boy. Before he could bring himself to freak out about possibly insulting a near stranger though, eyes growing wide as he suddenly caught himself, Logan replied.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’ve been told,” he said, but didn’t sound irritated at all. Actually, he sounded a bit amused.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Sorry,” Virgil said, just in case. Near stranger or not, he didn’t want Logan to stop talking to him, but Logan just shook his head.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No need.” Then, the boy moved closer to the stage, kneeling to inspect the pebbles. “I do wonder if they are poisonous. I’d like to get a closer look, but their color suggests danger.” He seemed to have moved on. Virgil sighed in relief.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>His relief didn’t last long, however. Virgil was good at catching sounds, catching movement out of the corner of his eye. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>While Logan immersed himself in his deliberation, Virgil would be the one to remain on his toes. He would be the one to glimpse a figure at the door.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Logan," he hissed, eyes narrowing at the entryway. Logan hummed distractedly. "Logan!" Virgil tried again, backing toward him without taking his eyes off the figure.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She was young; in a flower-patterned dress with frills that must have once been white. Her hands were cupped before her, and held close to her chest. As she walked forward, down the same long aisle which they themselves had come, she eyed them suspiciously, steps coming slowly, deliberately. Virgil started to hold his breath, as if that would help them hide.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>As they watched, she walked straight by, casting her eyes over them one last time before drawing her attention to the pulpit. Kneeling down, she began to place the items she held in her palm onto the steps. More glowing pebbles.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Logan opened his mouth, probably to ask about the stones, but Virgil immediately slapped a hand over it. They watched as the girl then bowed her head, murmuring silently to herself. Praying? </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They watched, and Virgil's attention felt laser focused on the event, as if it was something only seen once in a lifetime; as if it was very dear to something tiny, nestled in the recesses of his soul. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>When the girl rose, his breath became null once more, and that familiar fear coursed through his veins. She turned away from the stage, and faced directly towards them. From here, Virgil could see something hollow in the girl; in her cheeks, in her eyes.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Her hands were now down by her sides, empty–her fingertips grey and poised like a doll's–not quite limp, deliberately casual. She didn’t seem to be acting, though, and that's what threw Virgil off. Like these movements were regular, inconsequential.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Excuse me," Logan said, and Virgil snapped to attention. He wanted to slap a hand over Logan's face again, but, before he could, he noticed that he might not have to. The girl hadn't reacted–in voice, in eyes, in a tilt of her head. It was as if she hadn't heard him at all.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Then, she began to raise a hand. Her arm outstretched, like she was reaching for something, her finger pointed- pointed at something.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Something behind them.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Virgil's gasp came out choked since he had been holding his breath, and he whirled. His eyes immediately caught on the two figures, standing in the door. He yelped, and ran toward them, ready for disappointment, ready for it to be an illusion.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He stopped before them and Patton jumped up, wrapping his arms around Virgil. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Virgil!" he cheered. "I thought I'd lost you. Oh goodness, it's so good to see you!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You too, Patton," Virgil choked out, aware there was now a stone lodged in his throat. Was he trembling or was that Patton? Damn it; he was just so relieved to see him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He wasn't dead. Oh God, Patton wasn't dead.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Logan!" A voice next to them exclaimed, billowing and dramatic. Virgil knew who it was without looking up. "You're alive!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Yes, indeed, and so are you," Logan replied. "Seems as though I will have to suffer your existence longer still."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Virgil looked up to see a smile on Roman's face, a roll in his eyes. "You're glad to see me. Just admit it."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I will do nothing of the sort," Logan said, looking away, unphased, to Patton. Roman pouted behind him, and Virgil smirked at the familiar expression. "I see you survived the river."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I guess Virgil told you about that," Patton laughed. "It wasn't a big deal." He shrugged, then redirected. "Roman found me at the edge of the bank and gave me his jacket to get warm. Isn't he the sweetest?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Oh, Patton, stop," Roman waved a hand, but everyone there could tell he enjoyed the praise, standing a little taller. Virgil still couldn't get over the luck he must have seeing Roman in a neat (though not quite as neat anymore–probably from his trek through the woods) white button down and skinny red tie, but then he remembered </span>
  <em>
    <span>why</span>
  </em>
  <span> Roman was even wearing it in the first place and his mood soured again.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"And now we're all together again! Isn't that great?" Patton continued, just as happy as before. Virgil couldn't help but butt in.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"We're still lost though," he said, and all heads swiveled towards him. Uncomfortable with the gazes, he stuffed his hands in his pockets. "We’ve no clue how to get home. How is this any better?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Well, we do have one less problem now that we aren't searching for the others," Logan noted, adjusting his glasses. "More of our focus and resources may go into one, shared goal now: finding home."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"And we have more heads to put together, kiddo! You just have to think of the positive. We'll get out of here," Patton said, and Virgil could tell he was trying to be soothing, but his nerves were never things that liked false promises.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"No, this is hopeless," he argued. "We've been searching for a full day now. The forest outside of town was never this big! And isn't it strange that we keep running into people that don't want to help? What if there's no way out? What if we're trapped here forever?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Hey, Three Days Graceless," Roman stepped in between them, an annoyed stitch in his brow. "Why don't you calm down? Patton's just trying to look on the bright side of things–something you've probably never done in your life."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Calm down</span>
  </em>
  <span>, rang in Virgil's mind. His hands balled into fists and, despite being shorter than Roman, he stepped right up into his face. "I don't think the 'bright side of things' is going to help us get out of this place."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"And I don't think your attitude will either," Roman replied. "At least Patton's is less annoying to listen to."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Hey, wait a second," Patton stepped in, and they both fell silent. Virgil felt a bit guilty, suddenly, and the look on Roman's face relayed the same. No one wanted to hurt Patton. "Let's not fight. It won't solve any of our problems." Virgil scowled down at his shoes.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Virgil," Logan suddenly asked. "What do you mean by you keep running into people who don't want to help? Who have you run into?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"There was this guy earlier." Virgil looked to Patton. "What was his name?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Dee!" Patton said, recalling with excitement, happy to help. "He was a bit strange, but he was nice."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Virgil snorted. "Nice? He said that there was no way out of the woods."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Patton shrugged.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Virgil turned back to Logan. "Guy was a creep. There was also that girl-" Virgil cut off, and Logan seemed puzzled. Virgil looked over Logan's shoulder, down the aisle and to the stage. Glowing pebbles pulsed against the dimming church walls.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"What's going on?" Roman asked, and that's when it seemed to click for Logan and he spun, eyes cast in the same direction as Virgil's. He cursed under his breath, and Virgil did similarly when he stated the obvious. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"She's gone."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>-/-</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A bit spooked, they decided to stay the night in the church… At first, Virgil was against it, wondering how the hell any of them thought it was a good idea with some horror movie little girl milling about. When Logan pointed out it was either this or the horror movie woods, however, Virgil was quick to concede.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They all picked pews towards the front. None of them said it, but they were too scared to go far from one another. Virgil was closest to the stage, and it was long since he had counted the slowing breaths of the others–alone and awake, lying awkwardly on the wooden surface he had picked for himself–that Virgil continued to stare at the glowing pebbles.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>On good nights he had trouble sleeping. After the day they’d had, he couldn’t believe the others could just lay down and fall asleep. It must have been the exhaustion. Fear and an entire night before of walking through the woods would do that to a person. Patton must have been especially tired after his struggle with the stream.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Oh, how Virgil wished his brain could work like that.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>So Virgil continued to watch and focused too much on trying to relax his muscles. His entire personality could be summed up in listening out for things that went bump in the night, so he might have been prepared when a shadow crept out from a door next to the stage, and he might have believed for a moment that it was the little girl, and he might have thought he was about to die and </span>
  <em>
    <span>shit was this really how he was going to go out-</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The glow illuminated the figure’s face and, though it revealed a man, not a horror movie little girl, Virgil was little comforted. Slowly, he sat up, eyes glued to the man, and he hissed at the others. He was the closest to the figure; he’d be the first to die, but maybe the others could run.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That won’t wake them,” the man said, and Virgil’s voice died. “Don’t waste your energy, hun.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Guys,” Virgil tried again, louder this time. The man watched him, unimpressed, and crossed his arms, careful not to shake what he held: a simple paper cup. It didn’t look like it held liquid, but it held something. “Guys?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Listen, they won’t wake up unless I want them to wake up, and I don’t want them to wake up, got it?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They should have never stayed in that church. They should have gone further, found some place better. They could have made it a little farther; they could have been safer-</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I wanna talk to you right now, Virgil. That’s your name, right? I heard it along the grapevine, but you know how those telephone games can get,” the guy rolled his eyes. Virgil continued to watch without much comment, brain reeling, body frozen. “Anyway, I should probably introduce myself.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He stepped forward. Virgil, without having much else to do, stayed where he was, pressed against the pew. The guy didn’t seem to want to hurt him, but every fiber of his being told Virgil to never trust strangers. Really, to never trust anyone….</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Anywhere, any time, any how.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The guy reached up, and Virgil flinched, envisioning those hands coming closer, over his mouth, around his neck, slamming his head, ripping open the cut on his lip. Instead, the guy reached for the top of his own head, pulling down a pair of sunglasses Virgil hadn’t noticed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Aviators in place, in the dead of night, Virgil was faced with his own frightful expression, reflected in blue.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m Remy, hun.”</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Anyone else lose it over Thomas' new short? Just in time for our sassy insomniac to show up!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. “They make their music in the night…”</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>“They make their music in the night…”</p><p>- Haunted House by Florence + The Machine</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Chapter Warnings: Claustrophobia</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>“So, the usual questions, right? ‘Where am I, Remy?’ ‘How do I get out of here, Remy?’ ‘How did you get to be so gorgeous, Remy?’” the man rambled as if his appearance hadn’t jarred Virgil to the brink of panic. He was normal. Completely normal–well, in the sense of ‘not an axe murderer’ normal. His personality was pretty loud, but, then again, they had Roman and Patton around. It wasn't as disconcerting as it might have been once upon a time.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Virgil was mostly reeling in his utter relief that he wasn’t about to be murdered–at least in the near future. He wouldn’t trust this Remy character completely, but, for now, he thought he was fine.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Um…” was all Virgil could get out in his shaky thoughts, trying to piece the world back together around him. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well, maybe not that last one, but I suppose y’all usually have bigger things on your mind when around here, so that can be forgiven.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What?” Virgil asked. Simple thoughts, simple thoughts. One day they’ll form to be coherent. Maybe.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’ll start you off, I guess. I know the touristy concerns pretty well by now,” Remy continued, unphased. “This is the Woods. Welcome, welcome, blah blah blah… Basically.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He paused for a moment, lowering his glasses to his nose. His eyes bore into Virgil. Once again, Virgil was frozen.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You’re pretty freaking lost.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Remy readjusted his glasses and turned away, walking to the stage to look around at the pebbles. It seemed to be a point of intrigue for everyone around here.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So, a tip for ya, if you’d like to hear it. Don’t go into the forest alone. Sure fire way to getting actually lost, hun, and I so hate it when that happens. Too many people have gotten lost in these woods.” Remy sighed, short and mournful, but he was so quick to move on that Virgil almost thought he’d imagined it. “The Woods feeds off your sense of loneliness, so solitude is the worst thing. It’s a good thing you wondered in here with three other people. Try doing a buddy system or something. Works at amusement parks, right?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What do you mean, ‘actually lost’?” Virgil asked, finding his voice at last. “We’re already lost. We’re trying to find our way back to town.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh, you’re lost, alright, but don’t think for a second this is as lost as you can get,” Remy said. “The Woods makes it impossible to find a way out if you let it.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Why are you talking about it like it’s alive or something?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“‘Cause it’s a vengeful son of a bitch, girl, and it wouldn’t do for any of us to tempt it.” Remy flicked at his hair, tossing the contents of his cup around. It sounded like many small little things. Coins… but less metallic. Rice, but heavier, bulkier. “If you don’t wanna become the soil beneath our feet, then I’d heed that warning.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You aren’t actually answering any of my questions,” Virgil said, standing up from his pew. Leveled now, and noticing they were, in fact, the same height, Virgil didn’t feel so intimidated by the guy.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I am. You just don’t understand yet,” Remy replied, turning around back to the stage. In stark contrast to his earlier fear, he was now getting frustrated with the guy.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Then spell it out for me. How do we get out of here?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh, you never asked that, V.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“But you did,” Virgil challenged, and a note of silence pierced the air. Remy huffed a suffering sigh, and Virgil stood straighter in satisfaction.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Stay together,” Remy said, quieter. Virgil may not have known him for long, but it sounded odd, strange, coming from his mouth. Then, he lifted his cup and poured the contents on the stage, a shower of pebbles hitting the pulpit, clanking off stones of the same kind.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>For a moment, they flickered, no longer blue. They were red, then black; only the ones Remy spilled, the ones around them unaffected. Then, they were blue again, pulsing in time with the rest. The little girl’s pebbles hadn’t reacted like that.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But Remy might have taken another token from the little girl instead. When Virgil looked up from the stage, back to where the man had stood, Remy was gone.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>-/-</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>After being thoroughly spooked once again, Virgil took his place back on his pew. He refused to lay down–or, should he say, the nerves shooting up his spine and making confetti of his brain refused to lay down, constantly on the look-out for anyone else popping in.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Were they ghosts? Ghosts weren’t supposed to exist, but no one should be able to disappear that quickly. And those pebbles...and the way Remy had talked about the woods...</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Something really wasn’t right here.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Virgil wasn’t sure how willing he was to accept the supernatural. On the one hand, it would explain everything. On the other, the possibility just made Virgil’s anxiety worse. Accounting for things that went bump in the night would become much harder if woods were sentient and ghosts were real and shadows were alive.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>That was another thing to consider. Remy hadn’t been wrong when he’d said going into the woods alone was dangerous. Virgil had been in there alone. He had thought it was his own fears, his heightened anxiety attacking his brain, but there had been something else there–something looming beyond his normal sense of panic.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He must have been more tired than he thought, though, because Virgil woke in the morning with sun streaming on his face, the windows of the church letting in the unfiltered light. There was a painful crick in his neck from the odd position he had passed out in, apparently taking a note from the ‘sleeping at the point of exhaustion’ book he’d envied of the others the night before. Standing, he groaned as his whole body protested the awkward sleep.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Looking around, he spotted Roman in the next pew, still passed out and looking rather unprincely. He had an arm thrown over his face, and his legs sprawled out, fighting to stay on the narrow surface of the pew. His other arm had lost that fight, hanging down to the floor.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Logan, on the other hand, was curled up rather cutely in the pew behind Virgil’s. His back was to Virgil, so his face was huddled between the back of the pew and two loosely balled fists, looking like a sleeping cartoon with the prayer-like hands under his head. He had taken off his glasses and placed them further along the same pew, out of reach so they wouldn’t be broken more than they were.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>When Virgil’s eyes scanned the next pew over, his heart stopped. Scanning the others and doubling back, checking and checking again–Patton had slept there last night, hadn’t he?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Patton was gone.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Stay together,</span>
  </em>
  <span> Remy had said. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Don’t go into the forest alone.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Virgil’s heart hurtled into his throat, recounting as a tuft of hair disappeared from sight down a river–hoping, praying that Patton was okay–fearing he was gone–being so sure he was gone forever-</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He ran immediately for the doors, the large expanse of the church working against him once again. It felt like running along a conveyor belt, trapped in a never ending loop. He couldn’t lose Patton again, no matter how indirectly he knew the guy. If Virgil had to do the stupid thing and sprint into the woods alone after him, then he would.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>When he reached the doors, at last, he threw them open wide, darting onto the small lawn which surrounded the building. His breath sucked in as his eyes landed on none other than Patton, standing near the edge of the woods, looking around some of the bushes.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Patton!” he yelled–actually</span>
  <em>
    <span> yelled</span>
  </em>
  <span>–and darted towards him. Patton looked up in surprise then broke into a large grin.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hiya, kiddo! Good morning,” he said. Virgil skidded to a halt right before him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Why did you leave the church?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Patton’s face lit up in surprise, eyebrows jumping and mouth going into a tiny ‘o’ shape. He smiled again, only sheepishly this time. He must have a whole arsenal for an array of smiling emotions. “Well, remember how yesterday you asked if I knew how to find food in the forest? My Ma once taught me the difference between a bunch of the berries we grow wild in our backyard. I don’t know if any of these will be similar, but it’s worth a try, don’t you think?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh, god, Patton,” Virgil said, placing a hand over his face and slouching like a great burden had been lifted from his shoulders. “Don’t scare me like that.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You were worried about me?” Patton asked, as if Virgil hadn’t been close to sobbing the day before at seeing he was alive. Virgil looked away.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Just- Don’t wander off without telling someone,” Virgil said, voice a bit strained. Sure, he cared. He could recognize that. Patton probably could too. Would he ever admit it? Fat chance. Virgil wasn’t signing up for his own humiliation. “Let’s go back to the others,” he said before Patton cooed at him or something. Virgil wasn’t used to… </span>
  <em>
    <span>Affection</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He turned on his heel and counted on Patton following him. When he saw that he was, Virgil relaxed, just a fraction, and they reentered the church. By the time they got back, both Logan and Roman were already sitting up, looking about as if wondering where the hell their other two had gone. Their heads turned as Virgil and Patton walked up the aisle towards them, and Virgil could have sworn he saw a flash of relief cross Roman’s features.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Patton,” Logan said, and he was good at hiding his emotions, but Virgil thought he detected a hint of relief in him too. He was good at that–sensing the bad emotions, even if they were being released. The lift of anxiety from one’s shoulders, Virgil could see that a mile away, but maybe he was being too presumptuous of his own skill.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Sorry if I worried you guys,” Patton said. “I just went out to see if I could find food.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We woke up and you were both gone,” Roman said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Patton turned to Virgil. Shit. “You didn’t tell them where you were going?” he asked, mirthful.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, yeah, call me a hypocrite. You won’t be laughing after I tell you what happened last night,” Virgil said, and, after a few strange looks, they all gathered around so that Virgil could recount the appearance of Remy and his warnings.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Impossible,” Logan said, and that was turning into his favorite word, even spoken with such malice. “Of course trees are living, but to imply the woods as a whole is not only that, but sentient as well? And ghosts simply are not real, Virgil. Are you sure you were not asleep and this was a dream?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Are you still trying to convince yourself that this is all normal?” Virgil asked. “The church we’re </span>
  <em>
    <span>sitting in</span>
  </em>
  <span> doesn’t make sense.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Optical illusion,” Logan responded, then put up a hand when Virgil opened his mouth again. “And, as I stated before, the stones must work on some sort of bioluminescence. There is always a scientific explanation for everything.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“There’s scientific evidence of ghosts,” Roman pitched in. “We’ve seen those shows with all the ghost detecting stuff.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Virgil turned an impressed eye on Roman for a second. The guy watched paranormal documentaries? Not something he’d think Roman would be into.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>When he felt his face burning at the knowledge, he averted his gaze quickly. Shit, now was </span>
  <em>
    <span>not </span>
  </em>
  <span>the time.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Not substantial,” Logan dismissed easily.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What about how we keep walking but can’t find anything? I’ve never seen this church before, and I think someone in town would know about a church with glowing stones deep in the woods, especially with all these people visiting it,” Patton said. Everyone turned to him, considering.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Then eyes were back on Logan. He was silent for a moment and Virgil recognized the emotion there–impressive since it wasn’t a negative one at all. As reluctant as Logan was to speak against Patton, there was a shine in his eyes, a smile he was definitely suppressing.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He was head over heels for the guy.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Logan cleared his throat, face growing a little redder. Roman cast a sympathetic look at his friend. “Yes, well, I’m sure there’s some sort of explanation for that. It hardly seems like the place people from our town would frequent. Perhaps we have merely wandered further than we thought.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>As sound as it seemed, Virgil couldn’t shake the feeling Logan was grasping for straws. It was kind of cute, in a way, seeing Logan grounded because of Patton. Yeah, Virgil decided, they’d be good.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Whether the woods is living or not, it's still not a good idea to go in alone," Virgil said, trying to get them back on track and giving Logan a moment to get it together.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Buddy system then!" Patton chimed in, and Virgil remembered that Remy had said the same thing–something about them working in amusement parks? "Virgil, you can be with me!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Virgil's mind spun briefly. One moment you're deliberating the buddy system in amusement parks and the next, a guy you've barely spoken to other than the overwhelming past twenty-four hours decides to buddy up with you instead of either of the two guys he actually knew.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Patton wanted… to stay with </span>
  <em>
    <span>Virgil</span>
  </em>
  <span>?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Things just kept getting wilder and wilder in those woods.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You're leaving me with Pocket Calculator?" Roman gasped, dramatic hand to his chest. Patton giggled as Logan lightly smacked Roman upside the head.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"If ten years of friendship isn't enough for you to want my company, then I will gladly be on my own," he said, and Virgil's eyes widened in surprise.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Then perhaps I would get the chance to save you from the beasts lurking in there," Roman said, patting his friend firmly on the shoulder. Logan was slightly jostled, but he seemed used to it. "This. Is why you are the thinker, Logan." </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Yes, when we come across a feral raccoon I will be sure to let you know. I'm sure that is about the deadliest thing in those woods," Logan said under the weight of his friend, and Virgil had to admire it for a second; the ease in which they interacted, the unquestioned loyalty, evident even below the bickering. He thought of his own bickering with Roman and dared to hope it was at all similar.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It wasn't. There was no ease to what he and Roman had. There was no camaraderie.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They had no leads as to how in the world they could get home, so they made like Lost Boys and wandered. That title had always struck Virgil as odd. How could the boys be lost if they never looked for a way home? Then again, he'd only ever seen the Disney movie. For all he knew, the novel had them looking for home all along.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Or maybe the title was a warning, the darker side of Virgil's mind thought. They were what happened when little boys got lost in the woods. You got stuck there forever, never aging, never quite having a place to call home.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Home… why did Virgil want to go back?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Somehow, the buddies got mixed up immediately. Patton, excited to explore as they went, clambered ahead and roped Roman into a game of I Spy. Logan and Virgil remained a bit behind. Logan hadn't wanted to play. Virgil was a bit too keyed-up to pay attention.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Bump in the night, bump in the day; it didn't matter. Virgil was always prepared. Or he tried to be.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The woods were still eerily quiet. Virgil doubted they'd even find that feral raccoon. Still, he couldn't quite call it empty. Something lurked there. Something all around them, but not near, as if afraid to come too close.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Virgil hoped it stayed afraid. He hoped a few stray humans were the scariest things in that forest.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You are rather on edge at the moment," Logan's voice suddenly disrupted his thoughts, and Virgil's eyes snapped down from the boughs of a tree to Logan's speculative gaze. "What do you need?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Virgil gawked for a moment. "What… do I need?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Yes. I have heard that anxiety is best dealt with in a straightforward manner, which is something I excel at if I am to, as the saying goes, 'toot my own horn'." Logan explained. "Rather than offering help, one must imply that help is already at hand and direction is only needed to carry the task out. It is an interesting tactic because it is simultaneously straightforward, but subtle in the way that it placates thoughts from multiplying with doubts about requesting assistance and- what is that look for? Is the tape making my glasses crooked again?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Virgil quickly looked away, still feeling a bit shell-shocked. He'd never heard someone so knowledgeable about anxiety before; he'd never really heard anyone </span>
  <em>
    <span>talk</span>
  </em>
  <span> about it before. Virgil was the one with anxiety, and he knew squat compared to Logan apparently.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He shouldn't be surprised. Logan knew everything. But he was. "How do you know all of that?" Virgil asked, unable to help it. He'd scoured the internet for tips and tricks to cope, and there were a lot, but why would Logan ever go looking for stuff like that?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"My uncle is a psychologist. He gives me tips for academic related stress, though I rarely find the need for them. He is a rambler though, and the knowledge is useful anyway," Logan shrugged. "Simple tricks for stress often turn into in-depth conversation about how he helps patients deal with bigger things, like attacks. It's interesting listening to a doctor about their work. They're quite invested, and it is vastly different than relying on textbook information all the time."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>How do you know, though?</span>
  </em>
  <span> Virgil wanted to ask. Was it painted on his face? How could Logan so easily tell?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maybe he was the only one brave enough to say anything. Maybe it'd been obvious all along.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>This caused a shiver to race down Virgil's spine, and he sped up his pace a little; not enough to leave Logan, but, if he could leave the words behind them like a physical thing, Virgil was willing to try.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Logan matched his pace, and, while Virgil's feet tapped the dirt in rapid beat, Logan’s remained steady and sure. Virgil looked back up at him, and Logan wasn't even looking.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>It really is normal to him. It doesn't phase him at all.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Virgil slowed a little but not much, muscles ready to </span>
  <em>
    <span>go</span>
  </em>
  <span>. He frowned at the crooked tilt of Logan's glasses. "Sorry about your glasses."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"It was hardly your fault," Logan said. "Thank you, by the way."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Virgil shifted, uncomfortable. Oh how he jumped from the slight singe of one awkward encounter, and replaced it with the flame of another.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"No problem," he huffed, and they continue to walk, letting their voices die between them. Ahead, Roman and Patton had stopped. "What's wrong?" Virgil asked, scenarios already winding themselves around his head, worse and worse as they went.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Why do you always jump to that conclusion," Roman scowled at him as they approached, and Virgil got a look around him into a clearing.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Isn't this strange," Patton commented, like he had found the sugar on a different counter in the kitchen than it normally was. Rather than a random clearing in the woods, adorned with picnic tables and streamers and not a soul in sight.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"This is bad," Virgil said, and how could Roman even debate that? How could they not see? The streamers were police tape in his mind: DANGER DANGER DO NOT CROSS</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Not necessarily," Logan spoke up. "Despite its… strangeness, I see no present danger." Even Logan sounded a bit creeped out though.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I think it's cute!" Patton said. He was greeted with silence at the statement.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Well, only one way through," Roman said, and he walked right into the space, looking around like he owned the place. Virgil could see a slight tension in his shoulders, under all that bravado. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Are you crazy?" Virgil almost yelled, stepping forward as if to grab him, but Roman was already too far. Virgil would have to go into the clearing too.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"It's like the Mad Hatter's tea party," Patton said and followed Roman. Virgil groaned, eyes darting all around for danger. He sprinted in after them, careful to stay close in case something attacked. Logan seemed on the lookout too as he walked beside them, but his eyes were much more inspective, rather than the worry that was Virgil.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"We should cut through quickly," Logan suggested, something Virgil could actually agree on for once. Logan's voice was apprehensive, and Patton's eyebrows furrowed hearing it. Okay, listen to Logan. Whatever. As long as they got out of there.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I agree," Roman announced, not too far ahead of them. "The place is starting to give me chills."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Virgil looked at the tables, covered in cheap, plastic table cloths, the colorful kind you'd find in a party store. Paper plates and little decorations were lined up along them. Maybe he was starting to get a little annoyed at the ease they agreed with Logan–he could feel his temper rising–but anxiety won out; anxiety always won out.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Let's go then," he ground between his teeth, and displayed little patience in rounding them up, corralling them along to the other side of the clearing.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They stepped out as easily as they'd stepped in. There was a collective breath from them all.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Then, Roman laughed nervously. "Huh, I suppose we overreacted a little there. There was nothing to be afraid of."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Virgil looked back, stepping between the clearing and the others, as if his scrawny little body would be any use shielding them. He wasn't so sure about 'nothing to be afraid of.'</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Nothing had attacked them. Nothing had gone wrong. Yet, Virgil couldn't help the feeling they'd missed something here.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They'd barely dodged something huge. It left Virgil feeling off kilter, like he had one foot on a higher step, and was still trying to stand straight with his feet completely off level.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He didn't like the feeling, so he turned away from it and hastened the others along. The more space they made between themselves and this clearing, the better.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>-/-</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>When they made it to the edge of the woods, they came to a place that none of them recognized. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was a town, clustered into a small, crowded portion of a vaster flatland. From afar, Virgil could already tell that the houses were older fashioned, but sturdy. He could also tell that there was something almost too… still about the place. As they approached, he couldn't spot a single movement, from a person, animal. It was completely silent.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>As soon as they stepped into the town, that all changed. Virgil couldn't understand how he hadn't seen it before–people everywhere, crowds packed into every corner and alley.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It's so busy that, as they pushed through, Virgil was shaking. Patton and Logan were already trying to talk some of the townspeople into giving them directions, but it was evident that none of them were replying. In fact, they were all silent–none of them made a noise.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>As they continued in, the crowd shutting them off from escape, Virgil noted, he noticed that none of the people touched them. They skirted around as if the four were contagious, but only so through touch. Virgil appreciated it–that none touched him–because, at this point, he was already close enough to the edge.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Virgil also noticed that, even as Patton and Logan moved away, still trying their best to gain the attention of anyone there, Roman stayed close. Usually he’d be the first to run headlong into danger and adventure, but he was acting awfully tame–sticking close to Virgil, blocking people from coming closer. Roman’s arm brushed his a few times, since he was now practically glued to his side, but it didn’t bother Virgil like he thought it might have. It was familiar and safe. Desperate times called for desperate familiarities, he supposed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>As they passed, Virgil couldn’t help but feel like every eye remained on him. He was used to thinking stuff like that when he was nervous, paranoid to the point that breathing became manual, fearing he was doing it wrong under the scrutiny. Usually, though, the scrutiny was in his head, the eyes a figment of his imagination. In the halls of school, no one actually ever looked at him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Here, it was impossible to deny. Every pair, wide, empty, trained on him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Is it me,” Roman murmured to him, and Virgil was almost glad to hear his voice, blocking out the whispers. “Or are they looking at us?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They were. Of course they were. Virgil’s breath caught, and he squeezed his own eyes tight.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>At least he wasn’t alone in it all. The eyes weren’t only for him, he saw after he’d counted to ten and opened his own again. They were glued to Roman, staring at Patton, affixed to Logan. Virgil was shaking. Fuck, could he just cool it for a second?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Patton and Logan made their way back to them, politely shoving through the crowd as best they could. “I don’t think they can </span>
  <em>
    <span>hear </span>
  </em>
  <span>us,” Patton whispeeds, eyes darting around like the crowd could be listening in. They could be.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“They seem to be </span>
  <em>
    <span>ignoring </span>
  </em>
  <span>us,” Logan corrected. “A whole town can’t simply </span>
  <em>
    <span>not hear us</span>
  </em>
  <span>.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Our words didn’t even phase them,” Patton protested, casting a concerned eye around. Virgil’s eyes followed, less concerned for the town than for the four of them unlucky enough to be in it.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We should turn around,” Virgil suggested.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Someone here is bound to listen to us,” Logan objected. “A whole town cannot think this is a good idea of a prank, especially to a couple of lost kids. We need to stay until we find a phone.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Both Patton and Roman look uncomfortable with this idea, but Logan gave no chance to argue before turning around and delving back into the crowd. He was attempting to get information out of the townsfolk again. Virgil couldn’t believe how oblivious to their creepily absent faces Logan was. Patton and Roman both moved to follow Logan, and Virgil followed them, afraid to be alone.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But, the further into town they went, the more condensed it became–which is saying something because before there had been barely any room to move his elbows. As people drew closer, Virgil found it harder to breathe, and no amount of Roman’s blocking could prevent shoulders from bumping and toes from being stepped on. With the feeling of eyes, his discomfort grew ten-fold.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Are you okay?” he heard someone say over his shoulder, voice barely above a level anyone else may have heard. Virgil swallowed thickly before shaking his head, following the gaze of one man as they passed. Roman spoke up louder this time. “Guys, let’s go over here.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The next thing he knew, Virgil was being ushered into an alley. It seemed devoid of any other sort of life, and, finally able to breathe, he saw the others taking in deep gulps of air themselves. The town was suffocating.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s a pleasant place, isn’t it?” a new voice spoke up, and Virgil’s breath went right back in, eyes circling around to a familiar face.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hey!” Patton spoke up first. “We know you! Dee, right?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m sorry?” Logan asked, stepping forward. “Who is this?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We met him shortly after getting lost,” Virgil said, finding his voice easier than he’d thought he would. “He wasn’t a lot of help,” he said lowly, giving a suspicious eye to the man.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Dee,” Patton spoke up again. “Do you know what’s going on here? Why won’t anyone in town talk to us?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Dee’s eyes moved to Patton, looking him up and down before checking his nails–which, no, that couldn’t be right. He was wearing gloves. “They don’t particularly like visitors,” he said, then his eyes went up, past them and to the end of the alley. He was watching the silent people as they walked by. Virgil couldn’t follow his gaze, afraid to meet an endless line of eyes again, but he had no doubt what the man had to be looking at.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Virgil sighed, frustrated, demanding the man’s attention again. “You aren’t going to help us get home,” he said, planting a hand on his hip. “Are you?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>At this, Dee looked almost regretful, a sorry tilt of his lips giving the answer before he did. “No,” he said. “I’m afraid not.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That’s what I thought,” Virgil said. “Well-” he went to protest, but, before he could say anything else, there was a loud gasp in his ear. Glimpsing to his left, he saw Patton, wide-eyed and looking down at the other end of the alley, also open, also swarming with moving, silent bodies. What he was gaping at, however, was immediately obvious.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Distinct from the masses was a man gaping at them, eyes trained like the rest of the onlookers, but mouth ajar, feet unmoving. His responding gasp was audible from the distance between them.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Then, as if noticing that he himself had been noticed, the guy took in another breath, this one a gasp of fear, and immediately ducked away, sprinting from the alley. All of them were left standing in shock.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Then, Patton moved, darting to the end of the alley and turning the corner. Logan was the first to shout after him. “Patton, wait!” he yelled, before going after. Roman grabbed Virgil’s hand, Virgil barely gave one last look to Dee, and they sprinted off after them.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was easy to tell where they were in the crowd. While they were entangled in so much movement, all of it was evenly paced, and all heads turned their way as they ran. Roman, who was just the slightest bit taller, pulled Virgil along, and, over his shoulder, Virgil could tell the path they were following. Three sprinting figures fought against the tide, three backs of heads.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Once they had managed to catch up, Patton and Logan already had the guy backed into an alley, and Patton was using that soothing voice of his to calm him down. It didn’t take much, it seemed, to convince the guy they weren’t trying to hurt him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“-and you’re the first one we’ve seen that actually seems to see us too,” Patton was in the middle of saying as they approached. The other guy, with his t-shirt and lost look, watched as they approached, less wary now.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You guys are lost too?” he asked, looking back to Patton. Patton smiled and nodded. “Oh.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Sorry if we scared you,” Patton offered, and he really did sound so sorry, eyes soft like a kicked puppy. “Are you… here alone?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The guy nodded, shifting his gaze between them before going back to Patton. “I was with my friends, but… we got split up.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That’s really dangerous,” Roman spoke up. “You haven’t been in the woods, have you?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That’s where we got split up,” the guy answered, nodding his head. Roman and Patton shared a look. “I’ve been looking for them ever since. When I found this town, I thought maybe they’d found it too. We know not to stay in the woods alone, so if there’s any sort of meeting point out of it…” he looked around, as if the answer might materialize in front of him. “I don’t think they’re here, though.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And why not?” Logan spoke up.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Because I’ve been in this town for days and I haven’t been able to find them. They must have gotten out of the forest somewhere else.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Days?” Patton asked, looking troubled. “Did it really take you that long to look around?” he asked, and Virgil couldn’t blame him. The town, for all its people, was really small. So small, in fact, that he wasn’t sure how this many people could live comfortably. Were there enough homes? Were there enough beds?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But the guy shook his head. “It didn’t take long, but…” he trailed off, as if uncertain of what he was about to say.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Virgil, apprehensive as always, was the first to ask. “What?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The guy looked up. “You aren’t going to believe me.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We’ve seen a lot of weird things since we’ve been here,” Virgil said. “Try us.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Okay…” the guy’s eyes darted around, then, lowering his volume like he was afraid who would hear, he said, “The town won’t let me out.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Virgil’s eyebrows shot up. “What?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m serious,” the guy said, voice urgent. “I’ve tried to leave. At first I thought I kept getting turned around but… I just </span>
  <em>
    <span>can’t leave</span>
  </em>
  <span>.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Virgil could see Logan open his mouth, most likely to proclaim how this was impossible, his new favorite word, but Patton pressed the pads of his fingers against Logan’s lips. If the signal wasn’t enough to shut him up, the stunned look on Logan’s face was. It looked like Patton’s touch had rendered him useless.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We believe you,” Patton said quietly, and the guy puffed out a relieved sigh. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So, we’re probably stuck here too,” Virgil said. The guy looked over. He bit his lip then nodded.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Probably.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Great,” Virgil sighed, running a hand through his hair.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Then we probably need to work together!” Patton said. “There has to be </span>
  <em>
    <span>some </span>
  </em>
  <span>way to get out. Plus, you shouldn’t be wandering around on your own. We could help you find your friends!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Really?” the guy said, surprised. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Of course,” Patton said brightly. “The woods is nowhere to be alone.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Isn’t that the truth,” the guy said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We should probably introduce ourselves then,” Patton continued. “I’m Patton. This is Logan, Roman, and Virgil! It’s kind of a long story how we got here, but we all go to the same school.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh,” the guy said, nodding, then he offered them each a smile. “It’s nice to meet you all.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Virgil did his best to smile in return. His head was wondering if they could trust the guy, but, for some reason, he didn’t seem outright worried about it. Like there was something innately trustworthy he saw already. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He wasn’t sure what it was. The kind smile, not sunny like Patton’s, but soft and forgiving. Maybe the eyes that looked like they couldn’t hide anything if he tried.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>There was something…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Something…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well, you guys can call me Thomas!”</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>It's my story and I get to use the same chapter ending if I want! </p><p>Lol but yeah Thomas!!! We stan character!Thomas here. Next chapter is my first chapter that's not pre-completed, but it's already longer than this one so I guess we'll see how that goes. </p><p>Thank you for commenting and leaving kudos and being wonderful human beings!!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. “You don’t need no ticket, boys / It’ll take you when it’s time…”</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>“You don’t need no ticket, boys / It’ll take you when it’s time…” </p><p>- Old Black Train by The Blasting Company</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Chapter Warnings: Claustrophobia, Jealousy</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Virgil was the one to help the guy up, tuned into that slight imbalance one gets when suddenly letting go of terror. He couldn’t understand the sudden trust this Thomas guy had–that they could tell him they meant no harm and he actually believed them, just like that. Virgil knew terror, though, and the sudden aftermath of it.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>When the guy gave him a grateful smile after Virgil reached, it lit a small fire in his chest. Virgil gave a small smirk back, feeling a bit generous.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Thomas offered to show them where he’d been staying, and Patton rushed to walk next to him, happily gabbering to the new guy. Thomas was pretty polite, by the looks of it, and he listened intently to Patton’s tale of how they’d ended up in the forest themselves. Logan pitched in too, with pieces of his and Roman’s plight. Roman and Virgil, on the other hand, just followed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Roman hadn’t said anything in a while–much quieter than Virgil ever remembered.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He looked at him, noticing the way Roman scrutinized Thomas and knew he had to ask.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Dude, everything alright?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Roman jumped, head snapping to the left, and noticed Virgil. Virgil was used to freaking people out this way. No one really saw him until he’d made himself seen.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Virgil raised an eyebrow, making sure to look unimpressed. He was used to this, he reminded himself. It didn’t hurt to be forgotten by the person walking right next to him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Of course. Why wouldn’t it be?” Roman replied. That was definitely defensive.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You haven’t said anything in, like, five minutes. Is that a record for you?” Virgil said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Roman scoffed. “I can be quiet if I want to be. Just because I’m not afraid to speak up like some people doesn’t mean I can’t enjoy silence every once in a while.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>One of Virgil’s hands turned into a fist at his side. So Roman wanted to be an asshole. Virgil could definitely handle an asshole Roman.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I know when to keep my mouth shut. And I’m certainly not afraid to call you out on </span>
  <em>
    <span>your </span>
  </em>
  <span>bullshit.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Very brave of you,” Roman retorted, head tilting a bit as his eyes narrowed. Virgil tried not to let his brain latch onto it. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Someone’s gotta stand up to the assholes.” Virgil shrugged.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But, at this, Roman actually reeled back. His eyes scorched for a second before simmering into something wounded. He jerked his head away, leaving Virgil in uncertain waters. In all their bantering–the many years of it–Roman had never reacted to one of his quips this way.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m sure you feel very satisfied with yourself then,” Roman said. His lips were thin and his eyes bore into the hazy sky. Virgil felt frozen, tongue-tied. Like when a teacher called on him in class or Patton approached him in the hallways or the first time Virgil saw Roman. Virgil wasn’t supposed to feel like this with Roman–afraid of what to say, afraid that after one slip-up he would leave. It wasn’t supposed to matter if Roman left.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Virgil stayed silent. Roman was right. He was a coward.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>When they arrived at the little house, they had to push through another throng of silent, eyeing people to get to the front door. For a moment, it sounded like they were all whispering, but when Virgil looked again, none of their lips were moving. What was that noise then?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Roman stormed ahead, and Virgil tried not to let the brush of people close by get to him. He didn’t need Roman to get through this. He’d gone through his whole life without needing </span>
  <em>
    <span>Roman</span>
  </em>
  <span>, of all people.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Virgil stumbled out of the crowd and into the house, the last one in. Thomas shut the door behind him and swept his arms into a sub-par presentation of the house.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Home sweet home,” he said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Virgil looked, surprised at what he found.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>For such an abandoned-looking town, it was strange seeing a fully-furnished house in the middle of it all. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What a lovely house you’ve got here, son!” Patton cheered. Thomas looked at him strangely.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m not your son.” It went unheard as Patton explored.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Logan spoke up instead. “Patton is right. You have made quite a living arrangement here. How long have you been here, again?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Just a week or two?” Thomas said, voice making the statement sound unsure. “But I didn’t do any of this. It’s weird; all the houses are like this. Completely furnished and clean.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That does not make sense,” Logan said, frowning. “Who has been in charge of up-keep?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’ve never seen anyone cleaning. It’s just… like that,” Thomas said. He shrugged. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Virgil joined Patton in observing the room, though he stood in his place by the door instead of exploring further. There was no way the homes in this town could stay so clean without someone doing it. But, then again, Virgil couldn’t understand half of what was going on anyway.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Spooky,” he said. Thomas turned to him, nodding in agreement. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“This whole place is spooky,” Thomas said. “Though I guess not having to clean up is a big help.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Virgil snorted. Roman, who had been quiet until then, suddenly crossed his arms, blowing a sigh between his lips.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I don’t think that’s our biggest worry right now, though. Don’t you think?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Both Virgil and Thomas looked at him, eyebrows up in surprise. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I guess?” Thomas said, voice up an octave in that unsure cadence again. Virgil’s eyebrows went down again, looking between the two in his own confusion. Thomas went back to his cheery nature–almost like Patton, but less peppy. “Well, if we want to talk, why don’t we go into the living room. It’s my favorite place by far in this house.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They all followed Thomas into the living room, just past the hall they were standing in. In it, there was a long, L-shaped couch, bookshelf, a lamp with an armchair next to it, a window with some blinds, and a staircase that led further up into the house. While Patton and Logan took polite seats on the couch and Roman sat in the armchair, Virgil plopped down on the stairs. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Thomas gave him a funny look. “You know there’s plenty of room on the couch.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Virgil shrugged. “I don’t like to sit on things that are meant to be sat on.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Thomas leveled him with a serious look. “There’s a fridge in the kitchen.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Fuck</span>
  </em>
  <span> yes,” Virgil said, and he was on his way to standing when Roman spoke up.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We don’t have time for this,” he snipped. “Just let the emo sit on the stairs, and we can all talk about how to get out of here or something.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The room fell silent. Virgil looked at Roman with wide eyes, but Roman refused to even glance his way. He wasn’t looking at Thomas either, but down at his nails. What the fuck was up his ass today?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Then, Logan cleared his throat and the attention shot to him. “Despite the rather… poor way it was addressed,” Logan shot Roman a look, who continued to examine his nails. “Roman is right. We must try to formulate a plan as soon as we can in order to escape whatever illusion this town has over us.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Illusion?” Thomas asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Don’t worry about it,” Virgil said. “Logan’s just trying to cope.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Okay…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We must know as much about the situation as we can,” Logan cut in, ignoring them. “Thomas, tell us what you’ve found.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Thomas blinked, as if startled by Logan’s seriousness. Virgil couldn’t blame him–any terror in this forest wasn’t data, it was trauma. Nevertheless, Thomas started to describe his time in the town.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was pretty uneventful–a lot of wandering around and trying to walk out, only to be sucked back in. It was strange, but not a lot more than they already knew.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>When he was finished, Virgil somehow wasn’t surprised to hear Logan wanted to go see the edge of town for himself. He clung to the handrail subtly, trying to mold himself against the stairs.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m not coming,” he said, trying to appear bored. He closed his eyes like he was going to take a nap there and then. In reality, he couldn’t stand the thought of going into that crowd again. Even the implication made his skin crawl.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You will not have to,” Logan said. “Thomas will simply take me to the edge of town and we will test this hypothesis of his. We won’t be gone for too long.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh, can I come too?” Patton piped up, sending a cold stone to Virgil’s gut. If Patton was going… and Logan was going…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I would not advise leaving one of us alone. Roman, will you be staying with Virgil?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>As if Roman needed another reason to hate him. Keeping him behind from the adventure? Dragging him down to stay by his pathetic side? Roman had already seen him at some low lows, but this? Virgil wished he would melt into the carpet.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Sure,” Roman responded. It was a lot less than Virgil might have thought. He still didn’t open his eyes.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Good!” Patton said. “Then we’ll go check out the magic, and you two can get to know each other. It’d be so great if we’re all friends, wouldn’t it?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Virgil didn’t want to burst Patton’s bubble. He knew Roman Prince. He’d spoken to Roman Prince plenty enough. No, they would not be friends.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Oddly enough, Roman stayed silent too. Virgil peeped open an eye to find him staring out the window, where Patton was twisting the blinds open. Outside, the sun was setting. How had the day gone so quickly? Was time even a thing in this place?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Patton, Logan, and Thomas gathered at the door, saying their last goodbyes before their departure finalized with a click of the door. Virgil didn’t dare move.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He was alone. Alone with Roman Prince.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Roman Prince who was angry at him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Which wasn’t a new thing. In the time they’d known each other, Virgil had practically made it his job to annoy the guy, kicking at his desk or snickering when he answered a question–whether it was right </span>
  <em>
    <span>or </span>
  </em>
  <span>wrong. And Roman gave as much as he got. He sent gloating sneers his way when the teacher called on him and always came up with those horrible nicknames. It was a two way street.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But, lately, it was a street Virgil’s car had been broken down to the side of, and he didn’t know a thing about mechanics.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Virgil had thought….</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Well, it didn’t matter what he’d thought. Didn’t matter now what had happened.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Carefully, Virgil turned away from the door, quicking a glance towards Roman's side of the room. He froze when he saw Roman's eyes on him, an unrecognizable look on his face. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Virgil stood as quickly as he could. "I'm going to. Um-" His hand latched to the rail, eyes darting up the stairs. "I'm gonna find somewhere to take a nap."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Then he was gone, bolted up the stairs like he owned the place. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They avoided each other until the others got back, something Virgil was sure would disappoint Patton to know. But he and Roman Prince- Not friends and never would be.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Little to say, Virgil did not nap. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Apparently Roman did. When Virgil heard the shuffle of people coming in the door, he bolted down the stairs to find the boy curled up on the couch, fast asleep. Thomas, Patton, and Logan were chatting as they entered and Roman didn't stir a peep.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Lucky guy.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Virgil walked past him to where the others had gathered in the kitchen.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Everything… alright?" he asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Patton was the first to turn to him, smiling as always. "Virgil! You would not believe what we saw."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And, of course, Logan couldn't help but chime in. "There is a logical explanation."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Yeah?" Thomas asked, almost smirking. "And what would that be?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I-" Logan started, adjusting his glasses. "I need more time to consider the data we have collected."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"We walked out of the town-" Patton said, jumping on the balls of his feet, energy like a boundless puppy. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"An optical illusion," Logan suggested.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"And it was just like blinking!" Patton continued, breathless.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Magic is simply a trick of the mind. It's quite interesting how-"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Then we were back! In the middle of town! Just like that."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I accept what I see with my own eyes, but it is just improbable. There are logical explanations for things such as-"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"It's amazing, Virgil. You have to try it!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"No, thanks," Virgil said quickly. Patton was still jumping a little. Logan was drawing some diagram in the air. Thankfully, neither seemed to had noticed Virgil's slight panic.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Then there was a voice next to him. "Don't worry," Thomas said, and Virgil turned, stiffening a bit. Thomas gave him a reassuring smile. "You don't have to try it."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Virgil had no idea how to react. Thomas was so… calm, forgiving, patient. Nothing like Virgil had ever experienced. Patton was kind and understanding, but he was far from calm. He was a reassuring presence, but Virgil was always on his toes around him–afraid to screw this up. Virgil would like to consider Patton a friend, but he was so good at messing these things up. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>With Thomas, for some reason… he just wasn't worried.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maybe because they could never be friends, not friends that would last. They were stuck in some weird supernatural town in the woods far away from home. When they found their way out, Virgil could recognize everyone in their small town and Thomas definitely did not live there.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was possible he lived in a nearby town. It was also possible Thomas actually lived across the world for all this forest made sense.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>So it didn’t hurt that Virgil let himself feel at ease around the guy. It was kind of a miracle with how little he usually trusted.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You all are </span>
  <em>
    <span>very</span>
  </em>
  <span> loud," another voice spoke up behind him, and Virgil was stiffening up once more. His head snapped in its direction, taking in a sight that he really should have never had to behold.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Roman must have still been half asleep, rubbing at his eyes and hair sticking up in the back. He was looking on into the kitchen with lazy eyes, leaning on the doorframe on one shoulder. Virgil felt the air in his lungs vacuum-dry. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Then Roman looked at him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Virgil turned away as if his chest was the north end of a magnet, redirecting to the southern end of the kitchen sink. His face burned.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh, I’m sorry, Roman!” Patton exclaimed, voice hushing. “Were you asleep?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well, it has been a long day, for us all,” Logan pointed out. “We were in the woods for a long time before finding this town. It’s almost dark.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’d probably be a good idea to sleep,” Thomas suggested. “While I do think putting our heads together will help, I don’t think we’ll figure out what the heck’s going on in this town in a night. Not when I’ve been trying for weeks already.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh, so my idea is what we’re all going for?” Roman spoke up, voice sounding forced. Looks like his nap hadn’t helped with his mood. The heat in Virgil’s face turned to frustration. “Sleep time? Perfect. As always, I’m full of great ideas.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Virgil rolled his eyes before turning back to the rest of the kitchen. “I call the couch.” He’d much rather be close to the door if he was going to be unconscious. If anything got into the house, he had to be the first to know.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“There’s two beds upstairs,” Thomas pitched in. “Though one of them is, like, a twin? Two people will have to sleep on the couch. I can be the other person, if the rest of you want the beds.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Virgil saw Roman open his mouth, to argue yet again, but Patton beat him to it.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We aren’t just going to come in here and take your beds!” he said, practically gasping. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Thomas laughed good-naturedly, waving away the concern. “It’s really no big deal. And, I mean, technically all the houses in town have beds? I can go next door if the couch doesn’t work out well, but, to be honest, I’ve fallen asleep on this couch and it’s pretty nice.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Patton continued to shake his head. “We are not doing that to you, mister-” Virgil saw Thomas mouth </span>
  <em>
    <span>Mister?</span>
  </em>
  <span> with a confused expression and chuckled. “This may not be your home, but it is your house and we aren’t going to just boot you out of it.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We could always split up,” Roman pitched in. “Half of us go to the house next door? There’s no one else in town, right? That will actually use the houses, that is.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Split up?” Virgil asked, uneasily.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I don’t think that’s the best course of action,” Logan said, much to Virgil’s relief. “With all that we do not know, it is best to stay together.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Why don’t I take the couch?” Patton asked. “Thomas gets his bed, and Logan and Roman can have the other. Would you two be comfortable with that?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Roman and I have shared beds before,” Logan agreed. “I do not see a problem with that.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Great, then it’s decided!” Patton exclaimed, and, without any time for argument, the busy-body sprinted from the kitchen. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Virgil blinked after him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Oh god. Please don’t let me kick him in my sleep.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>-/-</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Virgil didn’t have to worry about kicking Patton in his sleep. But even though the couch was L-shaped, giving them each a defined section to stay in, Virgil still couldn’t sleep himself.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>That really was to be expected, going by earlier that evening and the previous night and, well, most nights of his life. His brain had trouble slowing down, like sugar plums pirouetting in his head and unable to stop their turn. Trapped in a forest with shadows that were actually out to get him, trapped in a strange town with people who wouldn’t stop looking at him, it was impossible to make it stop.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But when he heard someone making their way down the stairs, he was quick to pretend. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>No lights came on, so even through the slits of his eyelids he couldn’t tell who had come through. They shuffled through the living room, obviously trying to remain quiet, and went into the kitchen. There was the sound of clinking glass and the tap at the sink turning on. Virgil remembered they hadn’t eaten anything for dinner, but he wasn’t hungry.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Now that he thought about it, they hadn’t eaten </span>
  <em>
    <span>anything </span>
  </em>
  <span>since they’d gotten stuck in the forest.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Oh, Logan wasn’t going to like it when Virgil pointed that out.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He opened his eyes. Whoever was in there hadn’t turned the light on–probably because it would have shined right over the bar-top and into the living room. Moving in the dark had never been a problem for Virgil, though.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Silently, Virgil got up and slunk his way to the kitchen. As he leaned on the doorframe, similar to how Roman had earlier, he let himself figure out who was standing there, drinking small sips from a glass and hand tapping at the metal of the sink. As his eyes adjusted, it was easy to know.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What’s up?” he asked, smirking when Thomas jumped into the air. The glass stayed in his hand, thankfully, but water sloshed everywhere. “Shit-” Virgil cursed, mind filling with worst case scenarios by the second. Thomas turned to him, hand on his chest.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You scared the life out of me!” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Virgil was speechless. He knew he should apologize, but the words got stuck in his mouth. Instead, he stayed fixed in place. How could he have not thought of the glass? What if Thomas </span>
  <em>
    <span>had </span>
  </em>
  <span>dropped it? What if it shattered everywhere, and Thomas had cut himself on it? Or it ricocheted into his eyes? Or, in the dark, Thomas stepped all over it in his socked feet? Virgil would have made that happen–all because he had some sick sort of dark humor. Scaring someone? Was that really funny to him? What if Thomas had some sort of trauma–what if he had a heart attack–what if-</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh gosh, Virgil. You really got me there,” Thomas laughed a little and Virgil’s thoughts stopped immediately. He zoned back into the dark kitchen, to Thomas putting down his glass and looking through the drawers for something. “You know, you’re really quiet. I didn’t expect anyone capable of sneaking up on me when this town is so quiet itself.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Thomas took a hand towel out of one of the drawers and, finally, Virgil’s soul sucked back into him. He stepped forward again. “I can do that,” he said. It wasn’t an apology, but it was the closest he had.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No worries, dude.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No, seriously,” Virgil said quickly. “I made the mess.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s not really a mess. It’s just water,” Thomas shrugged and Virgil wondered how he could be so cool about this. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Virgil watched silently, stiff as a board, as Thomas wiped up the water. It only took a second, but it was one long excruciating second of Virgil not knowing what the hell to do. When Thomas stood again, he decided on the fly. It was simple enough to do it with Roman; why not Thomas?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Great job,” he remarked sarcastically. “You’re kind of a clutz.” Thomas stopped, mid-way through putting the towel in the sink to dry, and looked at him. In a deliberate move, he raised a brow.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Now, don’t take this the wrong way,” Thomas said, and Virgil struggled to maintain his nonchalant attitude as his heart sank. “But you don’t seem the best with people.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Virgil paused for a beat, then crossed his arms, leaning against his back leg now that he was no longer close to the door. He scoffed and that was about all he could get out.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I just mean…” Thomas said, trailing off as he visibly looked for the right words. It was becoming easier and easier to see in the dark. Thomas was looking in the sink, wringing out the towel while chewing on his lip. “You didn’t do that earlier? Like, resort to… all this to hide behind?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“All this?” Virgil asked skeptically.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Thomas nodded, putting down the towel and turning back. “Yeah, like, no offense, but that was kinda mean. And you seem to know it too.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well, no offense back to you, but you haven’t known me very long,” Virgil shot back. “How do you know I’m not just a mean person?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I don’t take you as a mean person. Sarcastic, maybe got a little dark sense of humor, but not deliberately mean.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I was literally just deliberately mean to you.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I bet if I told you that really, actually hurt, you would stop. You’re not out to hurt people; you’re trying to defend yourself.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m trying to defend myself by hurting people,” Virgil shot back, but, despite Thomas’ go-with-the-flow attitude, he was just as quick in return.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Something you should work on maybe,” he said. “But not who you are.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>For once, Virgil was speechless in a fight. He stared, feeling more exposed in the shadows than he ever had. He wanted to go back to pretending he was asleep on the couch. Why had he come into the kitchen?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Thomas stepped forward and Virgil flinched back. He took a good long look and Virgil wanted to go hide. “But that’s what friends are for, eh?” Thomas asked, and Virgil couldn’t have told him if he wanted to. “To call each other out on this stuff. To make each other better.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We aren’t friends,” Virgil said, but his voice was so dry that it came out cracked. “You’ve known me for less than a day.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well, we’ve got to have each others’ backs anyway in this creepy town,” Thomas shrugged. “Besides, you can make a friend anywhere.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That sounds like something Patton would say,” Virgil said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I think everyone should want to be a little bit like Patton.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You barely know him either.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What can I say,” Thomas said. “I think I’ve got a good sense for people.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Virgil just stared, not quite able to believe what he was hearing. How could Thomas be this open; how could he read Virgil like a book and believe so freely that he could trust someone that easily?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So,” Thomas continued, to Virgil’s bafflement. He held out a hand. “Friends?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“...sure,” Virgil replied. He grabbed the hand almost too fast. Despite his skepticism, he was desperate for it, for this chance. It would crash and burn, but Virgil needed it too much. “You really make friends everywhere you go?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Not everywhere,” Thomas said, leaning back against the sink. He picked up what was left of his water and took a sip. “I’m actually way too introverted for that kind of thing. It’s a nice way to look at things though.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>You’re</span>
  </em>
  <span> an introvert?” Virgil asked. Thomas shrugged.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well, yeah. I love hanging out with my friends, but I love hanging out by myself. It’s not so hard.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Virgil wondered if that’s what he would be like if he had more friends. And wasn’t so anxious. He thought of all the times he’d turned down Patton for random after school activities because he was afraid.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Don’t you worry you’ll get tired and then your friends will get mad because you don’t want to hang out?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Nah, my friends understand. Some of them are introverts themselves. Even if they aren’t, they try to understand though. People just work differently,” Thomas said, and Virgil couldn’t help the awe that washed over him at the thought. People you could just openly tell your worries, you weaknesses? Without fear of judgement? </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Then again, Thomas seemed awesome. Who wouldn’t want to be his friend? Who wouldn’t be open to understanding when the guy himself is so understanding?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Sounds like you’ve got cool friends,” Virgil said, making sure to shroud himself in nonchalance again. No jealousy no jealousy no jealousy.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“They’re the best,” Thomas agreed. Then he was chewing on his lip again. “I hope they’re okay.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“The ones you got lost with?” Virgil asked. Thomas nodded and Virgil switched from foot to foot, not sure how to be reassuring. So he stayed silent. Again.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Their names are Joan and Talyn. I- I don’t know what I’d do without them, honestly.” Thomas sighed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“They’ve got each other, right?” Virgil asked. Thomas nodded. “Then they’ve got someone to watch their back. And they aren’t alone in the woods. As long as they stay together, it’ll be fine.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Virgil bit back his pessimistic worries. If Thomas got separated from them, what’s stopping them from splitting? How could Virgil give false hope like that to the guy?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But Thomas nodded. “You’re right. Thanks.” Thomas dumped out his glass into the sink and rinsed it. “Sometimes I just get into my head too much, you know?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Oh, Virgil knew. If anxiety was the game, Virgil was that song that went ‘anything I can do better than you.’ Except the ‘anything’ was worse because his brain spun around until he knew he was the worst person alive.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I… I get that,” Virgil replied, shifting on his feet a little bit. He was way out of his element, even if the topic was something he was exceedingly familiar with. “But it’s natural to worry about your friends.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Thomas looked up, setting aside his glass. “See?” he said. “I told you you weren’t a mean person.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Virgil looked up and their eyes locked. Thomas’ were heavy with sincerity. Virgil didn’t know how to feel, but something lifted inside him, floated high above the fear and uncertainty and frustration. He couldn’t smile, like he should have–in the back of his mind, there were always “should haves”–but he nodded, and it was understood.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Now, about that fridge,” Virgil said, eyes darting to the side. It was a normal sized one, perfect for climbing, not too tall where he’d be scrunched at the top. Thomas smiled, something far different than his usual calm, understanding one. This one was full of mischief.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“About that fridge indeed.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>-/-</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>That morning, Thomas and Virgil were still talking, Virgil with his legs crossed on top of the fridge and Thomas laid back on the kitchen floor. They were laughing when Patton walked in, probably woken up from the noise. Virgil was laughing so hard he didn’t have the thought to feel bad.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Somewhere between the complete euphoria of that morning and everyone waking up by afternoon, Virgil wasn’t sure where it all went wrong.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I do hope they manage to collect some data on their own,” Logan commented from where he walked ahead. “I don’t know if our team efforts are quite divided well. No offense, as I don’t mind being partnered with you, but I do wonder if they will be able to focus without either of us.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Virgil pushed through the crowd, ignoring the weird voices that were still around and trying to simultaneously keep up and stay away from the bodies packed onto the street. Virgil hated to admit it, but he missed Roman’s help with keeping them away.</span>
</p><p> </p><p><span>But Roman had insisted on </span><em><span>not</span></em><span> being on Virgil’s team, so maybe Roman could just go shove it.</span> <span>When Logan had proposed his plan of having Virgil in the other group, while either Patton or Roman joined him, Roman had demanded Logan and Virgil stay together and that they were perfectly fine getting things done by themselves.</span></p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Roman seemed pretty confident they could,” Virgil said in way of response, voice more of a grumble than anything. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Logan snorted. “Roman says a lot of things.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“He sure does,” Virgil said, voice lower this time. The town was still silent, though, no matter the faux loudness the crowd supplied in his head, and Logan heard.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You are probably wondering why Roman is acting so strangely,” he said. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I didn’t-” Virgil tried, but Logan put up a hand.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You didn’t have to. Also, you didn’t do anything, if that’s what you’re thinking. Roman is simply being childish and… well, if I can tell you in confidence, insecure.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Insecure?” Virgil asked, disbelieving. “Roman?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Logan nodded, prodding ahead, sticking by the walls of the houses and giving the most distance between them and the crowds. It wasn’t much, but it made a difference. “I’m reluctant to say too much on the matter, as he is my best friend and it’s his business, but Roman is actually very insecure. It’s no surprise to me that he’s so jealous of Thomas.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Jealous</span>
  </em>
  <span>?” Virgil said again. Were they even talking about the same person? “Why the heck would he be jealous of Thomas?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sure, Thomas was great. Virgil had never warmed up to anyone so quickly before. But Roman had never had trouble making friends before–he was popular and friends with the loveable Patton–would that make him jealous of Patton too? Patton was great with people.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m afraid I won’t elaborate on that,” Logan said, shaking his head. “And though his reaction is childish, I say this so that perhaps you will understand. He is not angry with you–or, angrier than your usual bickering involves, though I wouldn’t call that quite anger itself. Roman is just experiencing some internal conflict.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“But he insisted on being </span>
  <em>
    <span>in Thomas’ group</span>
  </em>
  <span>,” Virgil pointed out. “Unless that really </span>
  <em>
    <span>was </span>
  </em>
  <span>to get away from me.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Logan stopped in place and Virgil, who had been not too far behind, had to stop abruptly to prevent ramming into the guy. Logan looked back, scanning him with that logical scrutiny of his. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What the heck, man?” Virgil asked, no heat to his voice–mostly just confusion. It didn’t phase Logan.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Logan sighed. “I cannot elaborate on Roman’s actions. I know we don’t know each other very well, but…will you trust me? Roman is not angry with you.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I-” Virgil started, unsure what the heck was going on. But Logan had always been kind to him, even if they’d never really talked before this whole forest thing. “Okay,” he said, nodding his head. “To be honest, my anxiety probably won’t always believe you, but I’ll try to.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Thank you, Virgil,” Logan said. “That means a lot to me.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Virgil had forgotten about the crowd a bit during their conversation, the discussion serving to distract him. It wasn’t until he saw a flash of yellow that Virgil was fully brought back to the present.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Him,” he said, knowing immediately somewhere in his gut. Logan’s expression turned confused, but Virgil pointed toward the alley he had disappeared down. He just hoped Logan wouldn’t run off like Patton had that first time. “It was that Dee guy. He was here again.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Let’s go then,” Logan said, and, while he didn’t run off, he directed his attention straight for the alley. Virgil could keep up, but nothing was stopping Logan from getting to his target.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>When they got there, though, Dee was unsurprisingly already gone.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Interesting,” was all Logan said, then turned and started walking again.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Virgil, confused, followed after.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>-/-</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I believe there is someone who wants to keep us in this town,” Logan said when they had all gathered again in their usual spots in Thomas’ living room. “An illusion must be maintained, after all.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It could be the magic of the town keeping us in,” Roman said, but Logan shook his head.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“There’s no such thing-” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Virgil cut in. They didn’t have time for another Logan denial session. “We saw Dee again.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Dee?” Thomas asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We met him in the forest,” Patton piped in. “And then again right before we saw you. He was standing in that alley with us.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh,” Thomas said. “I didn’t realize there was another person. Everything happened so fast.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah,” Virgil said. “Well, the guy keeps popping up, and he’s told us he’s definitely not helping us get out of the woods.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Which means he could be trying to keep us here,” Logan said. “If he is keeping us in some way, our best way of getting out could be to confront him.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“How do you know he’s even staying in the town, though?” Roman asked. “He could be using his magic from faraway or something.”</span>
  <span></span><br/>
<span><br/>
</span>
  <span>“There’s </span>
  <em>
    <span>no such-</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“The guy has shown up here twice,” Virgil broke in again. “I’m betting on a third. If we can corner him, maybe we can get him to stop…doing whatever it is he’s doing.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Are you sure?” Patton asked, looking reluctant. “Just because he can’t help us doesn’t mean he wants to cause us harm.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No, I agree with Virgil,” Roman said. “Guy’s shady.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Virgil stared wide-eyed at Roman, causing the other boy to look his way. When he met Virgil’s open stare, red colored his cheeks.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What?” he asked. “It’s obvious to anyone who isn’t insistent on looking for the good in people that he’s up to no good–no offense, padre.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Wait, wait,” Thomas spoke up. “Who is this guy? Is he lost too? Why would he want to keep us here?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No idea,” Virgil said. “I don’t think he’s lost though. He seemed at home enough in the woods.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Like Remy,” Thomas muttered like a realization. Virgil froze.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Remy?” he asked, blue reflecting off a pair of sunglasses flickering in his mind. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Guy I met in the woods,” Thomas explained. “He told us how dangerous the woods are–how to get out.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Get out?” Roman exclaimed. “Virgil, isn’t that the guy you met? You didn’t mention any way to get out!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“He didn’t say anything about that,” Virgil said. He hadn’t–Remy hadn’t said how to get out. Virgil had asked, after Remy had insinuated even, but he had never said how.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Really?” Thomas asked. “Guy with the sunglasses, right? Leather jacket, coffee cup?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, that’s the guy,” Virgil agreed. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Thomas looked confused. Virgil was comforted that he wasn’t alone, but also sort of more freaked out. “He…didn’t say anything about the clearing to you?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The others looked at Virgil. He felt put on the spot. He wracked his brain for some recognition, sure Remy hadn’t told him the way out. Had he said anything about a clearing? No? No. No, he hadn’t.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Nothing,” he said. “What did he say to you?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Thomas looked around at them all, as if the answer to this conundrum would present itself. They all stayed equally confused though. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well…” he said. “What Remy said was that there was a clearing, and, through it, we would find the way out. He wasn’t specific about how that would happen, but he said it was weird and you couldn’t miss it. It was pretty vague to me though.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They all sat, silent, the gears turning in their heads.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You don’t think…” Patton was the first to speak up.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That clearing we passed through,” Virgil said, realization dawning on him. “That was it.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We already found it?” Roman exclaimed. “We have to go back!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“But that clearing was nowhere near the edge of the woods,” Logan interjected. “No where near town.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“The woods is magic! When will you just </span>
  <em>
    <span>accept-</span>
  </em>
  <span>” Roman said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Because magic is </span>
  <em>
    <span>not real-</span>
  </em>
  <span>” Logan pitched in, voice shrill once more. There was no cutting into the denial conversation this time. Roman and Logan would not be silenced.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They argued. Virgil’s throat closed up. Patton tried to calm them, and Thomas tried to talk them down. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Virgil’s mind was reeling. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They had found the way out? Could they get back?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Somehow, he knew not. There had been something–that regret at the back of his mind as they moved away from the clearing. It would not be easy to get back.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He clenched his fist, suddenly upset with himself. Upset what could have been their only chance had vanished under them unawares. Upset Remy hadn’t </span>
  <em>
    <span>told </span>
  </em>
  <span>him. Why hadn’t he? Why would he keep that from Virgil when he’d told Thomas?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Why had Virgil trusted that complete stranger in the first place? </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Guys!" he finally exclaimed, mind reeling and unable to focus with the arguing around him. When he looked up, he noticed everyone was staring at him, eyes trained like the empty people outside. More shocked than the empty stares, but it still made him uncomfortable. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He cleared his throat and looked away, his own eyes boring into the stairs' handrail. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"We're off task," he grumbled, voice coming out angry instead of anxious. Thank god. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"He's right," Thomas chimed in. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Fine," Logan said, and from the corner of his eye, Virgil could see him adjust his collar. "Back to the task at hand. We need to find this Dee fellow." </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"How do we do that?" Patton asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"We look!" Roman exclaimed. Virgil looked over, unable to help himself. Roman sat at the very edge of his seat, like he was ready to spring up and search immediately. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Awesome," Thomas said, agreeing with Roman amicably. "Then I guess Operation: Get Out of This Freaky Town is a go."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Virgil tapped his fingers along his thigh.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>This was bound to be harder than they thought.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>This chapter got a lot longer than I expected, so I've split it into two (kinda glad bc I'm going to use another lyric from Old Black Train for the chapter title, which has some great lines). This also helps with the symmetry of the parts in this fic. Part 1 originally had six chapters, while part 2 had seven. I can't guarantee it'll stay symmetrical because I might go overboard with another chapter, but we're even for now! </p><p>This one is more character-focused, which is fun, but I hope it wasn't too slow. The next chapter picks up a little.</p><p>Hope you liked it. Thanks guys! Have an awesome day!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. “The train'll stop a minute/ But don't let it leave you here…”</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>“The train'll stop a minute/ But don't let it leave you here…” </p><p>- Old Black Train by The Blasting Company</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Chapter Warnings: Claustrophobia, Jealousy, Betting</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>It'd been at least a week, though keeping time was difficult in the town. There were no clocks or calendars–and Virgil had completely lost count of how many nights they’d had. It was all a monotonous blur at this point–though not one that he was necessarily against.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>In the days, they'd split into two groups and search the town. Virgil had spent a lot of time with all of them, apart from Roman, who still refused to group with him. The only time he'd wanted to join Virgil's group was when Thomas and Patton were already with him, which didn't make sense at all. Did Roman really want to leave Logan, his best friend, alone? </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Virgil thought back to Logan's words often. Roman was jealous of Thomas? Was that why he wanted to group with the guy so much? What kind of jealousy was it even? Did Roman want to be more like the guy? Did he want to </span>
  <em>
    <span>date</span>
  </em>
  <span> him? Or maybe he was just worried about his friends–leaving Patton or Logan alone with him. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Was it really not about staying away from Virgil? </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It didn't make sense. Ever since- </span>
  <em>
    <span>before-</span>
  </em>
  <span> Roman has been so angry at Virgil. Which wasn't fair at all. None of it had been Roman's business. He'd had absolutely no right.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But everything was about Roman Prince, wasn't it? He just had to stick his nose places it wasn't supposed to be. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Whatever. It wasn't like Roman had ever liked Virgil before. This ruined nothing. This </span>
  <em>
    <span>meant </span>
  </em>
  <span>nothing. Even if- Even if Virgil had had his hopes, he and Roman Prince were never supposed to get along.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But Patton? Thomas? Maybe even Logan? Perhaps Virgil </span>
  <em>
    <span>could</span>
  </em>
  <span> make friends. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He continued to talk to Thomas during the nights, sprawled on the kitchen floor, sitting on the counters, and sometimes Virgil crawled up the fridge just to amuse the other boy. It was a good thing Patton was a deep sleeper because as much as they tried to keep it down, often they couldn't contain their laughter at Thomas' weird jokes, yelps at Virgil's sudden appearances, or whatever else. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And it was a good thing Roman always woke up last. Whatever jealousy the guy had–if Logan was really telling the truth on that one–was not one Virgil wanted to get in the way of. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It seemed he couldn’t avoid it forever, however.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>As they exited the house one morning, already split into their groups for the day, Virgil noticed Logan shooting Roman a significant look. Virgil had no idea what he was trying to tell his friend, but Roman seemed to get it just fine since he rolled his eyes. Logan sighed, turning to Patton.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Left or right?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh, I get to pick?” Patton asked, looking excited for the small decision. Virgil couldn’t imagine. Decisions made him anxious. “Left!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>As Virgil watched them walk away with quick goodbyes, he ignored the problem at his back in favor of feeling happy for them. The careful distance between them, the slight blush on Logan’s ears and Patton’s frequent giggling–the two had it bad. It was about time they ended up alone on a team.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>However, that meant Virgil was stuck with these two.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He turned, facing Roman–on his team, not for the first time that week, but for the first time also with Thomas. No Logan or Patton to distract him. Virgil was going to be right in the crossfire today.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He took a deep breath and walked forward. “That leaves us with right.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Perfect!” Roman exclaimed, turning to him. “I’ll find him today; leave it to me.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh, maybe we can turn it into a game,” Thomas said. “First one to spot him wins.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Thomas said it, obviously looking forward to some sort of fun way to pass the time. Roman got a glint in his eye at the challenge, however. Virgil fought not to sigh. His anxiety was already up to here.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I look forward to winning!” Roman proclaimed. “And what will the champion get?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hm,” Thomas said, considering. “Not sure. Virgil, got any ideas?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They both turned to him and Virgil froze. “I am not participating in this.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh, come on,” Thomas said. “It’s not like our focus will be split. This is what we’re doing anyway.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Virgil bit his lip. Thomas brought up a good point, and the challenge itself wouldn’t be hard. He still didn’t like that look in Roman’s eye though. What if Virgil won and it only made him angrier?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A part of him wanted to make Roman mad. What was the guy going to do, send him more glares from across the room? Cross his arms and pout for a day? Maybe he’d shout more nicknames at him–Virgil didn’t care. Roman could be a whiny baby all he wanted.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Alright, fine,” he said. “What about winner will get out of this town?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Boring,” Roman said. “We get that anyway.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“As long as we can convince Dee to let us out,” Thomas pitched in.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And that we’re not wrong about him causing it in the first place,” Virgil muttered, then, at normal volume, said, “Then what should be the prize? There’s not a lot to win out here.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’ve got it,” Roman said, and of course he did. He must have had an idea from the beginning. “The losers have to tell the winner they are, and I quote, ‘the best and most handsome and most valiant of them all.’”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“If any of you call me valiant, I’ll leave you in this town among the creepy ghost people.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“They aren’t ghosts,” Thomas said, looking around. “I mean, they’re solid, right?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Virgil remembered brushing along them, their foreign touch. “Yeah.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So, not ghosts?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What else would they be?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I don’t know,” Thomas shrugged. “Ghouls?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’ve changed my mind. I don’t want to know what they are,” Virgil said before their conversation was interrupted with an ‘ahem’. Virgil looked back to Roman, who appeared irked. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Virgil breathed, careful not to say anything that would make the guy angrier. He had to spend the rest of the day with him. If he was going to get on Roman’s nerves, Roman would get him right back. So, as much as Virgil spitefully wanted to, he held back.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So, terms of the competition agreed upon?” Roman asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Thomas laughed, like he didn’t sense the tension in the air. Or maybe he was just used to it by now. “Sounds good to me.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, whatever,” Virgil agreed too.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Perfect!” Roman turned away, already heading into the crowds. “Then let the game begin.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Thomas and Virgil gave each other a look before following after.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>After a week walking among them, Virgil still wasn’t used to it. The eyes, the whispering, just how close and packed they all were. In that time, however, it seemed the others had started picking up on it. When he was paired with Logan, Virgil stayed closer to the buildings while Logan walked between him and the crowds. With Patton, he always held Virgil’s hand to make sure they didn’t get separated, and kept an eye that they didn’t go into the more crowded areas of town. Thomas, even, kept close, steering the ghost-ghoul-whatever people away by keeping attention on himself. He liked talking to them, even though they didn’t talk back.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And Roman, of course, had been doing it since they’d arrived. Not even his anger or jealousy or whatever it was that day let him forget to create that semblance of security for Virgil. He didn’t talk to Virgil, sometimes he didn’t even acknowledge him, opting to keep his attention on Patton or Logan, but he was always close by, subtly blocking anyone from touching.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It mystified Virgil, and it proved that Roman wasn't a complete jerk... which might have been the worst part. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Roman was a decent human being. Actually really kind. He just didn't like Virgil specifically. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Even if it was just Virgil at stake, however, Roman still seemed miffed at Thomas’ attempts to help too. Gosh, Virgil may never understand what went on in Prince’s head.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He never said anything, but it was obvious from his looks and determined silence. Thomas and Virgil would be talking, the crowd would get too close, Thomas would go to redirect them, then suddenly Roman was there. If Virgil didn’t know better, he’d say Roman was just very ticked by the crowds that day, but he knew it was him. It was always Virgil on Roman’s nerves.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They continued on through the town in that awkward way. Even Thomas was starting to lose traction in the conversation, constantly looking over at what Roman was doing next, like some bouncing bodyguard. It wasn’t subtle at all, what he was doing now. Virgil doubted he was even thinking of Dee or the competition.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Finally, when Roman had cut Thomas off for the umpteenth time, Virgil had had enough.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What is your problem?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Roman froze where he was, creating a barrier from the crowds behind them–right behind them. He was almost pushing at Thomas, and he didn’t even seem to think twice on it. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Me?” Roman asked, like he was actually surprised.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yes,” Virgil emphasized. “Of course you. You keep knocking into us. You’re interrupting every minute. If you’ve got a problem, why don’t you go ahead and say it?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I haven’t been interrupting! I haven’t said anything!” Roman argued. Virgil shook his head.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You know what you’ve been doing. Don’t lie,” he said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Maybe if Thomas here kept out of my way-”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh, like it’s </span>
  <em>
    <span>Thomas’ </span>
  </em>
  <span>fault.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Of course you take his side,” Roman grumbled.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Virgil threw his hands down. “The innocent party? Yeah, why not take his side? Don’t blame Thomas for whatever beef you’ve got with me.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“With you?” Roman asked, voice going a higher pitch. “This has nothing to do with you!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh really?” Virgil challenged.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Roman stuck his nose in the air. The liar. “Really.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Is that-?” Thomas said. Virgil didn’t hear him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I find that hard to believe considering it’s </span>
  <em>
    <span>always </span>
  </em>
  <span>me you’ve got some problem with. You’ve been pissed at me since we got here-”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But whatever might have come next was cut off with a sudden movement from next to them. Both Virgil’s and Roman’s heads whipped up as Thomas took into the crowd.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Thomas?” Virgil exclaimed. For a moment, he was frozen looking after him, completely astonished. He glanced over at Roman.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Roman seemed just as confused.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Virgil turned and took off after him. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He wound through the crowds, trying his best to stay out of reach of arms and shoulders, but it was impossible once he got into the thick of it. Virgil stumbled and ripped his limbs away when they brushed someone else. He couldn’t see Thomas anymore and he was starting to shake.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“He went that way,” a voice behind him said. He turned to find Roman, a determined look on his face. He was giving Virgil suitable space, from himself and blocking bodies on one side. Virgil backed away from the ones on other sides, better to have Roman nearby than all these strangers.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Where?” he gasped, trying to get a handle on his swimming head. Roman pointed over the crowd. “Take me to him,” Virgil requested. Roman just nodded once and began to steer them over, linking hands like Patton usually did.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>When they found him, Thomas had stopped in the middle of the throng. Bodies brushed past him, eyes bore into him, but nothing seemed to phase him. Instead, he was staring ahead, stopped in front of two souls that had in turn stopped to stare at him. Their eyes were just as empty as the rest.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Thom-” Virgil started to say, but Thomas’ broken voice gasped out.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s them.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It sent a shiver down Virgil’s spine. He looked between Thomas and the souls. Something was wrong here.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Them?” Virgil asked. Beside him, Roman stayed quiet, but Virgil could still feel his hand.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Joan and Talyn,” Thomas said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Virgil gasped, remembering something Thomas had told him before.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Their names are Joan and Talyn. I- I don’t know what I’d do without them, honestly.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Virgil looked at them. Empty eyes. One of them had a beanie and one brightly dyed hair. These were Thomas’ friends–the ones he was lost in the woods with. How had they ended up here?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Don’t think for a second this is as lost as you can get.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>As long as they stay together, it’ll be fine.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Virgil felt like he was going to be sick. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ghosts… ghouls… maybe they were right. What happened when you were alone in the woods for too long?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Guys,” Roman said. Virgil turned to him, unable to do much else. It was that or look at Thomas’ helpless face.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>As short a time as they’d known each other, Virgil felt close to Thomas. But he didn’t know what to do for his friend in this situation.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>When he looked to Roman, however, Roman wasn’t looking at him. He was looking out, towards where the crowd was thinnest. He pointed and Virgil followed, noticing yellow and black, snake scales, piercing green eyes.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>At the opposite end of the crowd was Dee, watching them.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Roman took off, letting go of Virgil’s hand. “Roman!” Virgil yelled after. That was three of them so far that’d taken off from Virgil in chase of Dee. Each and every time it felt like losing them.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He turned to Thomas.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Thomas, we have to go.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Thomas shook his head, eyes still on his friends. He approached them, muttering, “Joan? Talyn? Say something…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Roman just took off after Dee. This could be our only chance. Thomas-”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I can’t,” Thomas said, not taking his eyes off of them. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Virgil looked between Thomas and the building Dee had been next to. He was gone and so was Roman. They must have ducked into that alley. Dee seemed to favor them–probably because they were away from the crowds.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Thomas, </span>
  <em>
    <span>please</span>
  </em>
  <span>.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I can’t leave them,” Thomas said, voice resolute. “Not again.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Virgil looked again, then back at Thomas.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I- I-” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>What was he supposed to do? Stay with Thomas? Go with Roman? What if Dee hurt Roman? What if something happened?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Thomas, I will be back, okay? I need to go help Roman.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Thomas didn’t say anything. Virgil stepped closer to the crowd, where Roman had taken off.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’ll be back,” he said again. “I promise.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Then, Virgil dipped into the crowd, tracing Roman’s steps. He wove and ducked and ran while his feet thudded beneath him. It felt like years until he reached the end of the crowd, then years more until the alley. At last, he slipped into the narrow passage–so much smaller than other alleys in the town.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was a deadend. Thank god. Roman and Dee were still there.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Let us out of this creepy-ass town, you creepy-ass snake,” he heard Roman say as he approached.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Dee’s eyes slipped to him when he took his place next to Roman, but he didn’t remark on it. The guy went back to regarding Roman.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said, sounding rather bored. Virgil frowned.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s either you’ve done something to the town,” he said, “or you know how to get out.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“How would I have done something to the town?” Dee asked. Roman stepped forward, hands on his hips.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Magic.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Dee examined his nails. “No such thing.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Oh, not this debate again. Virgil walked between the two.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Please</span>
  </em>
  <span>, just tell us how to get out of here. We literally have nothing to do with you,” he said, giving Dee the most intimidating glare he could. Dee remained unphased.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He opened his mouth to say something when, suddenly, noise filled the air. Roman looked around, surprised. “What is that?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Virgil recognized it. It was the whispers, but they were louder, growing and growing until they seemed to fill every inch of the alleyway. Virgil looked down the passage, where he could still see some of the crowds. Their mouths were actually moving along with the noise.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What the fuck,” he whispered.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What great news,” Dee said, and Virgil spun back to him. He was looking around as well, though less shocked. He seemed unsettled though, and that was possibly the most emotion Virgil had seen from him yet.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What is that?” Roman asked, nearly shouting from the growing cacophony. Dee’s eyes remained on the skyline.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Sanity,” he answered.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Virgil didn’t like the sound of that.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Will you be staying here until he comes?” Dee asked, trying to mask himself again in that cloak of indifference. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Do we have a choice?” Virgil asked sarcastically. Would they be staying? Um, would Dee let them leave?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But, instead of answering, Dee held Virgil’s eye and raised his hand. With a snap, there was a pulse around them.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Dee smirked. “I’d love to see him catch you.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Virgil looked at Roman. “I think that’s our cue to run,” Virgil said, and Roman nodded in reply. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They sprinted down the alley away from Dee, into the din of whispering.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>-/-</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>When they dove back into the crowd, Roman was working both to keep people away and to get them through as quickly as possible. Virgil had been perhaps a bit ashamed, a bit guilty that the others felt the need to protect him here, but secretly he'd been relieved for the help recently.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>As they pushed through the crowd now, though, all he could feel was guilt. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They had to get to the others. Roman had to get to his friends, but he was here, stuck protecting Virgil.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>There were few instances in his life where someone had protected Virgil before this town. And maybe here it felt good to be important enough for that. To be someone worth protecting.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But Virgil didn't need protection. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Life was unforgiving, and it took every chance to be cruel. It had given Virgil his lot, a lot that Virgil had accepted. Dealing with crowds and subsequent panic–that was his. Not Roman's. Not Patton's or Logan's or Thomas'.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It didn't matter how much he was hurt. That hurt was his–no one else's. He wasn't anyone else's responsibility. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Roman had to get to his friends, and Virgil had something to do himself anyway.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He stopped.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Roman stopped with him, casting a concerned gaze over his body, probably afraid Virgil was breaking down–that'd surely slow them. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You go get Patton and Logan," Virgil yelled over the noise. He tried to keep his eyes on Roman, but it was impossible to avoid the eyes and listlessly moving mouths around them. "I need to find Thomas!" </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But Roman was already shaking his head. "We shouldn't split up!" he yelled. Why were they so loud? </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Virgil, in turn, was already slipping his arm away. "We'll meet where Thomas found his friends!" Virgil had a feeling it would be difficult to get Thomas away, to convince him to go, but there was really only one option here. Thomas couldn't stay–not with whatever was coming, especially now that he was truly on his own. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Before Roman could protest, Virgil slipped into the crowd in the opposite direction. He hoped he could retrace his steps, find Thomas. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It took way too long to figure out, especially with how disoriented the crowds made him. He would have had one up on Roman, however, who would have to search the whole other half of town for Logan and Patton. Then again, the guy was taller and didn’t panic when people he didn’t know touched him, so maybe they were evenly matched.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>When Virgil found him, Thomas had sat down right on the street, head in his hands. The crowd around him didn’t move and his friends were still there, staring. The guy looked two seconds from bawling.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Thomas,” Virgil shouted over the noise. Thomas looked up, cheeks already stained with tears.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Virgil?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Virgil ran to him, crouching down next to the other boy. No one got near, to Virgil’s relief, but it was unsettling how still they remained as they watched Thomas.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We have to get out of here,” Virgil breathed, only realizing now how winded his sprint had left him. “There’s something coming–something even Dee looked scared of. I think he lifted the magic-whatever from the town, but we need to go </span>
  <em>
    <span>now</span>
  </em>
  <span>.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Thomas shook his head. “I can’t leave.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yes, you can,” Virgil said, exasperated and afraid in equal measure. Right now, his job was to protect Thomas. Right now, Thomas needed Virgil to get him out of there. “You have to. Something bad is coming; you’re gonna get hurt.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Thomas shook his head again. “No, I won’t.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What do you mean you won’t?” Virgil exclaimed. “Do you know what it is?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Then you can’t possibly know!” Virgil shouted. Thomas’ brow furrowed, and he frowned at Virgil.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m not leaving them again, Virgil,” he said. “I- I left them in the woods. When we got split up, I thought the first thing I should do was look for the edge like Remy said, hope they’d do the same. I should have gone back for them!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You can’t fix that, Thomas,” Virgil said. “I’m so so sorry, but there’s nothing you can do.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You don’t know that. I’m not giving up.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Are you kidding me?” Virgil said, and frustration was leaking into his voice, growing louder and a bit unstable. “Do you realize how stupid you’re being right now?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Virgil,” Thomas said. It was the most serious he’d ever heard him. Virgil couldn’t think of anything to do but look at him, speechless. Thomas held his gaze–his kind, understanding eyes now pleading for the same kindness and understanding. “You can’t keep doing that.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Doing what?” Virgil asked, knowing he was playing into whatever Thomas was trying to get at. What could he say, though? Virgil had never had a friend like this. Virgil had never trusted someone like he did Thomas.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We’ve talked about it,” Thomas said. “You say mean things because you’re afraid. You’re going to push them away if you keep doing that.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That’s not what this is about,” Virgil said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yes, it is,” Thomas said. “This is about our friends. I need Joan and Talyn just like you need Logan and Patton and Roman. I’m staying, and you’ll need them, Virgil.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You can’t stay!” Virgil tried again. Thomas looked all too calm on the matter–too resolute. Nothing Virgil could say would get through.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Why was he such a stubborn idiot?!?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“This town is safe. I’ve been here for a long time; I’ve survived the woods for a long time. I can survive longer.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Virgil!” another voice broke in, and Virgil’s head snapped up. Breaking through the crowd was three people. Soon enough, they were standing in front of the two kneeling on the ground. Roman put his hands on his knees to take a breath, and Logan straightened his glasses from the run. Patton was panting as he said again, “Virgil! Thomas! There you are!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hey, Pat,” Thomas greeted, a sad excuse for a smile on his face. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We need to go,” Roman said. Wow, Virgil wished </span>
  <em>
    <span>he’d </span>
  </em>
  <span>thought of that.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m staying,” Thomas said, and the three looked at him like he was crazy.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>At least Virgil wasn’t surrounded by a complete lack of common sense. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Thomas stood, and Virgil watched before he scrambled up with him. Their group formed a loose circle in the crowd. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Thank you all for everything, but I can’t leave my friends. Not now that I’ve found them.” Thomas said. “I’m going to find a way to help them somehow.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“How will you do that?” Logan asked. “Whatever is going on here…” he looked uncomfortable as, at last, he admitted, “It isn’t natural. How do you know there is a cure?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I don’t,” Thomas admitted. “But I’m going to try.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“But… kiddo,” Patton said. His lips moved, trying to find something to say. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Virgil sighed. “I’ve already tried to talk him out of it,” he turned a frustrated look on his friend. “He won’t listen to </span>
  <em>
    <span>reason</span>
  </em>
  <span>.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Thomas frowned, taking a step closer to his friends. Virgil suddenly got the horrible feeling of something lodging in his throat. Even if it’d only been a week… Virgil had never felt as close to someone as he had Thomas. But now, it was like none of that had existed. Virgil couldn’t help feeling like Thomas was given a choice here, and he had chosen his other friends over him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But of course he would. They were Thomas’ best friends. Friends he’d known for years, who he shared experiences and emotions and secrets with. Virgil… Virgil was just another friend on a list of friends for Thomas. Of course it wouldn’t mean as much to him. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Almost as if he’d read his mind, Thomas leveled Virgil with a look. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Virgil, you’re my friend.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Virgil froze. Oh god, please don’t tell him Thomas could actually read minds-</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’ve grown really close to you and I consider you a </span>
  <em>
    <span>great </span>
  </em>
  <span>friend, okay? This has nothing to do with that.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Virgil’s face burned. He couldn’t bring his mouth to move.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“But I </span>
  <em>
    <span>need </span>
  </em>
  <span>to do this.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"He's right," another voice pitched in. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Virgil wound on Roman, shock and indignation on his lips. Roman had been acting sketchy as fuck around Thomas! How did Virgil know he wasn't just trying to take his side–or trying to get rid of the guy–or trying to take any side that wasn't Virgil's. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But when he saw Roman, he swallowed his words. Because what he saw wasn't arrogance or persistent agreement. It was something sad, tired. Reluctant. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"If Thomas wants to stay behind to help his friends, we can't stop him," Roman said. He looked at Joan and Talyn. "Sometimes you have to make sacrifices to help the ones you care about." </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Virgil felt like he either wanted to scream or lay down and never move again, but all he could do was stand there, staring. Roman shifted his gaze to Thomas, gave a small, melancholic smile, and Thomas nodded back.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m sorry for how things went between us while we were here,” Roman said. “I should have tried to be your friend, but instead I was childish.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No worries, Roman,” Thomas said. “Just, take care, alright? And take care of them. All of you, take care of each other.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Logan murmured a small “Of course.” Patton hummed in agreement, eyes bright with unshed tears. Virgil looked around, baffled that they were all just letting this be, letting this happen like Thomas couldn’t get seriously hur-</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The whispers grew louder, almost screaming now. Virgil looked around, panicked, before his eyes rested on Thomas again.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You should all go,” Thomas said. “Before whatever it is arrives- or Dee locks us in again.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No,” Virgil said, shaking his head. “Thomas-”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Virgil,” Thomas said, turning to him. “I’ll be fine.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You don’t know that!” Virgil shouted. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We have to leave!” another shout sounded from behind him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Head for the edge of town!” yet another said. Virgil was shaking. He was always shaking. Why couldn’t he keep himself together for two minutes?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Go,” Thomas said. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Virgil!” another voice behind him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Virgil looked at Thomas, the horrible realization settling in his gut that he could not stop him. He sucked in a breath, steadying himself from the inevitable tears coming.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Could I give you a hug?” he asked, voice shaking–everything shaking. Thomas gave him a wide smile. He looked to be on the verge of tears once again as well.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>When Thomas nodded, Virgil rushed forward and pulled the other boy into a hug, squeezing tight, holding him as close as he could. He took it in like his last–because it could be. He may never see Thomas again after this. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>All too soon, he had to pull away. Thomas brushed at his eyes, but Virgil was still holding back. He couldn’t break, not now.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>There was a hand on his shoulder then, and Virgil knew it was time to go.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Bye,” he choked out. Nothing else left to do. It was the worst word he could think to say, but it’d be ten times worse to leave without it.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Goodbye, Virgil,” Thomas said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Then Virgil was standing and turning away.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Someone took him by the hand, and they ran blindly into the crowd. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>-/-</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Virgil didn’t know when he’d started crying, but by the time they reached the edge of town his cheeks were stinging from the wet and wind. His hand must have been bruising in its hold, but he couldn’t control his emotions enough to look up to whoever it was and apologize. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Virge?” a soft voice asked. He blinked ahead of him and saw two figures standing at the edge of town. He remembered someone instructing the others to go ahead of them.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The other figure turned to whoever’s hand he was holding. “We’ve tried the border. We can get through.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Then let’s go,” a somber voice replied. Virgil could recognize all of them. Patton with his soft voice approached Virgil, shushing him delicately. He could tell the other boy wanted to take him into his arms, brush away his tears, but Virgil couldn’t, and he was glad Patton recognized it. Instead, he hovered close.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Logan, to the right of Patton, approached Roman, the one who had led him through the crowd. They were talking.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Virgil, in a minute, realized how out of control he’d become. He was showing too much–they were seeing so much weakness in him–so much more they would have to protect like the burden he was. He had to stop.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He closed his eyes, begging his tears to listen, to go back. He quieted down, miraculously, but he was still shaking–always shaking. And they had already seen too much.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>That was when he noticed how quiet it had become–not just his tears, but everything.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He opened his eyes and looked around. The crowds continued to stare, but their mouths had shut. The whispering had disappeared, not even the vague sounds Virgil had been hearing before during the week. He saw the others look around too.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Does that mean it’s gone?” Patton asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I don’t know,” Roman said, mystified. “But we still need to get out of here.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Virgil spoke up for the first time since they’d left Thomas, voice gruff and head averted, trying not to meet any of their eyes or draw attention to his still very wet face. “Then let’s get going.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They all became silent for a moment, and he could feel their gazes. Maybe this town </span>
  <em>
    <span>had </span>
  </em>
  <span>actually helped with Virgil’s nervousness to stares because all he felt was a ringing numbness towards them. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Then Roman animated once again. “You heard him. Let us head out!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And so, with one last backward look at the town–</span>
  <em>
    <span>safe, please let it be safe now that the whispers were gone, please</span>
  </em>
  <span>–they departed. Stepping over the border had no weird effect, no magical diversion back to the center. They stepped through, and they were able to keep going.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>So they walked the path, and headed back towards the woods.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Hey! In case you noticed, I didn't post last week. Sorry about that! I made a post about it on my blog, but essentially I was really busy with schoolwork and etcetera. I was planning on just making it a few days late, but now it's Tuesday again and I guess that's how that went. So, I'm just considering last week an off week.<br/><br/>So thanks for being patient and I hope you enjoyed this chapter!<br/></p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. “... the rain / Is full of ghosts tonight, that tap and sigh / Upon the glass and listen for reply…”</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>“... the rain / Is full of ghosts tonight, that tap and sigh / Upon the glass and listen for reply…”</p><p>- What Lips My Lips Have Kissed, and Where, and Why by Edna St. Vincent Millay</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Chapter Warnings: None (if you see any I should add, let me know!)</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>The library was rather beautiful in a dark, mournful way.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The shelves were dusty and there had to be millions upon millions of spider webs in the corners–something Patton had screamed upon seeing, though in the few measly days since they'd arrived they had yet to see an actual spider. The only light in the building was from oil lamps and candles, as well as the windows during the day. It was a good thing they'd found a pack of matches to go with.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>This was where Virgil had screamed himself, much to the others' dismay. What? Virgil didn't like fire. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They’d wandered the forest a bit longer after the ghost town, retracing their steps to find the clearing Thomas had mentioned. It should have been a simple task–the route had been pretty straightforward from those picnic tables to the town. They couldn’t find it, though. Just as Virgil had thought: they’d missed something big when leaving that clearing, and it wasn’t easily gotten back.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The group had come across the library when it began to rain–just the shelter they'd needed. However, a few days later and the rain still hadn't let up. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>So they laid low among the stacks, looked through the collection and read to pass the time. Logan, of course, found it all fascinating. Roman was picky and abandoned books as quickly as he started them. Patton was fine with anything as long as one of the others read it to him. He liked the sound, filling up all the empty space of the dark building, staying close to his friends. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Virgil, however, didn't so much as look at the books. There wasn't enough light to read unless you were close to a lamp or candle, both of which Virgil didn't trust alone with himself. He wouldn't take a candle with him to look through the shelves, maybe find something he'd like, and he certainly wouldn't take one to sit on his own to read. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He also found that he wasn’t too keen on staying with the others in their time at the library. Whereas the other three stuck together in a comfortable spot full of dusty and decaying armchairs, illuminated with open flames close enough to set anything on fire, Virgil stuck to the windows. Logan was smart enough to make sure no one tripped on a candle or caught their sleeve on fire. Virgil still didn’t trust it well enough to stay with them.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Nor did he trust himself well enough to.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He often found himself on a window pane near the back of the library, close to the rain. It was hypnotizing, watching it patter and trail along the glass, listen to it shower the ground and assault the side of the building and blow against the roof. It was also the best sort of light that wasn't fire-based in that place, though the murky days only provided a dull, grey sort of glow.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maybe that sounded boring–spending hours just looking out a window, stuck in his own thoughts. And, sometimes, that really was the worst. But, sometimes, his thoughts weren't half bad. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Virgil thought of all kinds of things. He liked staring at his ceiling fan at home in the dead of night, just wondering about the world and where he might get some day. He would open his window, let in some fresh air, look at the stars, music spinning his loneliness into something beautiful. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>His head was strangely empty that day as he looked out. He rested his forehead on the glass, felt his eyes slipping shut…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Virgil was still having trouble sleeping. He couldn’t seem to convince his body to relax, that there wasn’t something out there to get them. It was times like this where he was absolutely exhausted–limbs lagging from days without rest. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>When he heard a sound to his right, however, adrenaline pumped through his veins and all thoughts of sleep were gone. He sat up ramrod straight, looking to the dark aisles and the approaching figure.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A rough outline greeted him over the light of a candle. Virgil didn’t relax at seeing who it was.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He and Roman hadn’t spoken since everything that had happened with Thomas. While he was far from rude anymore–they’d all taken to being very quiet, sympathetic, around Virgil since they’d seen him cry–he still refused to maintain eye contact, to offer anything more than a nod in passing. It was worse now that Roman wasn’t angry–now it was as if he was afraid to talk to Virgil at all.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>So when Virgil saw him moving along that aisle, he looked back to the window. Roman was probably looking for a book anyway.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hi, Virgil,” Roman’s voice greeted him. It was soft–quiet from fear or in respects to the library?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Virgil looked back to him, now just a few feet away, emerging from the aisle and holding his candle aloft. Virgil’s eyes were on it, refusing to leave the dancing flame. He imagined Roman dropping it and it catching on one of the scattered books, or spreading along the bookshelves, or erupting in the dust. Did fire react to dust? Why had Virgil never looked that up?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Roman, perhaps noticing Virgil’s unease, blew out the fire. They were left in a blue-grey hue, one patch of light from the window surrounded by the darkness of the library. It felt like a safe spot. As long as Virgil didn’t leave that little light, he’d be safe from darkness or flame. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But Roman was in that light too–encroaching on his safe spot. Roman wasn’t safe. Roman made Virgil feel too many things. Roman had never been safe, and he definitely wasn’t now.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Roman,” he decided to respond. If Roman wasn’t going to ignore him, the little courtesy Virgil could give was to not ignore him back. They were in this together, anyway, and Virgil wasn’t actually mad at Roman anymore.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>No, he was just sad.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Slowly, Virgil began to relax again, pressing his back into the wall, the side of his head against the glass, but he kept his eyes on Roman. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Roman stepped forward and gestured next to him. “Mind if I sit?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Virgil shrugged, jutted his head to the spot in permission. Roman took a seat, and they both sat there for a minute, just taking it in. Things had never been like this back home. Roman never shut up in school, or let Virgil take the lead. It almost threw him out of his element, and, boy, did Virgil hate change.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But he was too tired for that now. He sighed, tracing his eyes to the ceiling. Not a cell in him could get them to close again, but maybe Virgil could relax a bit. It was sort of nice, sitting there next to someone, not expected to talk. Roman must have wanted to say something, but he didn’t seem in a rush to get there. That was fine by Virgil.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He could take the time to let his head stay empty, just a little while longer. No thoughts about a town, about the smile of a friend, midnight meetings in the kitchen. No thoughts of empty eyes that broke his friend’s heart, of Thomas’ head in his hands, of running away like the coward Virgil knew he was.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>No one talked to him about it, which Virgil was grateful for. He had pieced himself together, knew better now than to show weakness like that. It hurt to leave behind a friend, but, of course, it would hurt far worse if there were more friends to worry about. Virgil pushed it to the back of his mind, only let those thoughts eat him alive in the dead of night when he could hide away, break down elsewhere as the others slept.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He still didn’t cry. Not after he’d bawled like a baby that day in front of them all. He didn’t regret shedding those tears for Thomas–alive or dead, he didn’t know. Virgil only regretted showing too much to them. Only regretted the weakness he kept inside–the attention was too much. He wasn’t used to eyes and stares, to sympathy, to pity.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was easy on days like this, where he was too tired for emotions, for the guilt and pain and fear. It was a dangerous game to play, for he had to get past the exhausting point of being too emotional. It was one he played reluctantly the same.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Virgil?” Roman’s voice floated over again, and Virgil’s eyes popped open, unsure when they’d even drifted closed. He looked up, vision already clear from the slight haze he’d been in. He’d always been quick to wake up.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Roman?” Virgil replied in the same tone, a light tease. Weird. Was now really the time for humor?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But Roman smiled all the same, a corner of his lips lifting as he looked at him for a bit. Virgil sat up further, wondering what Roman could want.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What?” he asked, giving a small smile of his own. Weird again. He never smiled. And why was he being so nice to Roman when Roman hadn’t been talking to him for days?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Virgil was so tired of feeling. Anger. Sadness. Happiness. Gosh, it was all so tiring. What he felt for Roman in that moment…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Was nothing.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Virgil frowned. Something about the statement felt so wrong.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>In the split second that Virgil thought to himself, Roman’s lips had turned down again, taking on a serious tilt. He shifted to face Virgil, leveling him with a look. Virgil dropped emotionlessness in a second for his familiar anxiety.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>What Roman said next replaced everything with confusion.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m sorry.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“W-what?” Virgil asked, sitting up to face him properly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Roman nodded, still looking very serious. “I’m sorry. For the way I treated you and Thomas. It was stupid, and neither of you deserved it.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Virgil’s mouth fell open. He had heard Roman apologize to Thomas, back in the town, but never in his wildest dreams did he think he’d hear these words for him. An apology? For Virgil? But Roman was always a dick to Virgil. He was always calling him names and teasing him about things. Sure, not much of their usual banter ever hurt, not like the weird way Roman had been acting lately or those early days when Roman had transferred into their school and they’d absolutely hated each other, but an apology? Really?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Why?” Virgil asked, voice mystified. Roman’s eyes shot wide, and Virgil realized his mistake.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Because I was wrong, and you deserve an apology,” Roman said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Then I’m sorry too,” Virgil decided, making Roman’s eyes go even wider. “For calling you an asshole. And anything else that might have hurt.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Asshole?” Roman asked, bewildered. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Virgil nodded. “I called you an asshole our first day in the ghost town,” he explained, remembering the hurt expression that had crossed Roman’s face. He hadn’t stopped thinking about it since it’d happened. “Also, I say a lot of things that are sorta assholey, so you’ve got my overall apologies for all of those too. It will happen again, and I’m sorry for that, but I’ll try to do better to not be a dick and apologize more often too.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Holy shit,” Roman said, still looking a tiny bit shocked. Then a smirk lifted his lips. “Look at us being all mature.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It leaves a gross taste in my mouth,” Virgil snarked. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What?” Roman asked. “Being nice or mature?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Both.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Roman laughed. Virgil’s insides bubbled, and he tried not to think about it.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Thank you, Virgil,” Roman said, growing quieter again, head resting back on the wall. Virgil nodded and did the same, staring once more towards the ceiling.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Less emotionless. More... peaceful. Strange how the two differed but were so alike in nature.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Thank you too, Roman.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m sorry about what happened with Thomas,” Roman said, voice soft again. Virgil turned his head back down, keeping it rested against the wall.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You’ve already apologized.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I mean in general,” Roman said. “I’m sorry we left him behind. I thought it was the right thing.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Virgil sighed, turning his face again to the ceiling. “You did what I couldn’t,” he said, suddenly a knob forming in his throat. “He wouldn’t have come with us. He wouldn’t have left them.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“The voices died out as we left,” Roman said. “Maybe whatever it was didn’t show up to the town.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Virgil nodded, having thought of this too. “That’s possible. We don’t know though.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Roman didn’t have anything more to say on that, it seemed. Virgil was sort of relieved. He hadn’t talked about it yet, and it was making him feel choked up. All this time controlling himself and at one mention of Thomas he was close to breaking down again. Fuck, was this what it was like to have friends? Just thinking about them in pain made you want to cry?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Why didn’t you like him?” Virgil asked, lips moving without permission. He remembered Logan’s words, about it being jealousy. Maybe Roman </span>
  <em>
    <span>had </span>
  </em>
  <span>liked Thomas, but he’d still been a dick to him. What kind of jealousy even was that?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I-I liked him just fine…” Roman said, and Virgil knew immediately it was a lie. He waited patiently though. If Roman really didn’t want to tell him, then that was his decision. “Okay, so maybe I didn’t like him at first. And, I mean, it was really hard to </span>
  <em>
    <span>dislike him</span>
  </em>
  <span>, you know? I’d give him the cold shoulder, and he’d just carry on. Or I’d say something snide, and he’d lift an eyebrow, totally unimpressed. He was really freaking nice! But he also didn’t put up with it! How am I supposed to compete with tha-”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Suddenly, Roman’s mouth clamped shut, as if he realized what he’d been saying. Virgil sat up.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Compete?” Virgil asked, finally understanding what Logan had been getting at. “Why did you feel like you needed to compete with Thomas?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I mean-” Roman said, looking anywhere that wasn’t Virgil. Virgil frowned. “He was pretty cool; you have to admit.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, Thomas is cool. But you’re literally Mr. Popular Guy at our school. Why the heck would you care about that?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Mr. Popular Guy?” Roman asked, finally making eye contact to lift a brow.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Don’t even deny it,” Virgil said. “You’re friends with most of the student body. You’re in like a bajillion clubs and in leadership for all of them. If you’d actually ran for Homecoming, you would have won it on a landslide.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Roman gave a bitter lift of his lip. “I didn’t even have a date to Homecoming.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Virgil’s breath caught, eyes darting to Roman’s tie which had dirtied from their time out in the forest. He really didn’t want to think about this.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You can’t deny you’re popular, and everyone wants to be you or date you at that school. So why be jealous of Thomas?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Because…” Roman said, then proceeded to chew on his lip, mulling it over. Virgil watched patiently. Roman knew why, he could tell. Now it was just a matter if he would say it.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He hadn’t expected Roman to suddenly come out with, “Do you know how hard you are to befriend?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Virgil blinked, wondering if his circuitry had fried. “What?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Seriously,” Roman said, leaning forward now. “I’ve talked to you in class for years. I know for a fact Patton has talked to you too–in the hallways, invited you to clubs and stuff. But you’re so closed off. Did you know we only talked in insults for the first year we knew each other?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Um, what does this have to do with-”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And not five minutes into knowing Thomas, you already smiled at the guy! And maybe that was a fluke, but then you’re talking about sitting on fridges and laughing like you’ve known each other for years. How the heck? Literally, how the heck did he do that?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Virgil almost pointed out that the guy was </span>
  <em>
    <span>nice </span>
  </em>
  <span>to him, unlike Roman had been. But he remembered that Roman had pointed out that not even Patton could befriend him. He had no clue what to say.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Befriending Thomas, he’d thought there was no risk to it–that it was never a friendship that could last, so it wouldn’t hurt as much when it crashed and burned.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But that had been wrong. It </span>
  <em>
    <span>had </span>
  </em>
  <span>hurt. It had hurt </span>
  <em>
    <span>a lot</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>So he chose to focus on the other side of what Roman had said–the part that almost seemed impossible in its implication. Surely Virgil was reading it wrong…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Are you saying you want to be my friend?” His voice was incredulous, so shocked he didn’t realize just how juvenile he might sound. Roman looked at him like he’d offered up his firstborn to a crossroads demon right in front of his salad. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Um…yeah?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Once again, Virgil was at a loss for what to do. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A part of him didn’t want to have friends ever again. The ghost town had left him a little traumatized to the whole idea. Having a friend had been…great. Really awesome, actually. But it had hurt far too much–had hurt Virgil like he’d never expected. Going back into that- it was asking to be hurt.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But Virgil had never been good at making the right decisions. Another part of him wanted to chase after that feeling again. He wanted to embrace the happiness he got from talking and laughing and feeling close to someone. It made him weak–Virgil hated it, knew he’d just be embracing that weakness he knew he had inside him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He couldn’t let it go.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You know…” he said, looking down at his lap. He shouldn’t. He really shouldn’t. “You just had to ask.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Ask…?” Roman asked reproachfully. Of course he did. Virgil was being weird about this–he didn’t know what the heck one did when they made friends. Was it an unspoken thing? Thomas had asked to be his friend, but maybe he just knew Virgil wouldn’t have seen it otherwise.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You want to be my friend?” Virgil asked again, just to clarify. Roman had already said it, but Virgil’s brain wouldn’t quiet.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I mean, yeah,” Roman said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Then, sure,” Virgil said, shrugging. Like this wasn’t big. Like this wasn’t completely out of left field–wasn’t completely out of the ballpark. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Wow,” Roman said. Virgil looked over out of the corner of his eye. Roman was just sitting there, staring into outer space. Just like he did when he zoned out in class. Virgil had always wondered what he thought about. “Shit,” Roman suddenly cursed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Virgil turned all the way to him. “What?” he asked nervously.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Patton’s never going to forgive me for becoming friends with you first.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Virgil sat, dumbstruck for a moment, before bursting into laughter. “What?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Roman sat up too, eyes pleading. “I’m serious! Oh my gosh, we can’t tell him. Pretend this didn’t happen- Please, </span>
  <em>
    <span>please </span>
  </em>
  <span>tell Patton you’re his friend first. I mean, do you want to be friends with Patton? I don’t want to dictate who you call friends, but who could really turn down that face? But no pressure. Just that this might be the day Patton Hart snaps and I will be the reason it happens and oh my gosh if that happens Logan will never forgive me. I’ll be down two of my best friends! Virgil, please-”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Virgil was laughing again, bent double at the middle. Roman was laughing too, in his half-serious panic. He had a goofy grin on his face as he watched Virgil, and Virgil hurried to nod his head, sputter out a “Okay! Okay!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Thank you, Virgil,” Roman said, nodding his head like Virgil really had saved his life, grin messing up the whole charade. “I am forever indebted to you.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Indebted…” Virgil said, still fighting off any more giggling. There was no way Roman would take him seriously ever again.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But that wasn’t his main concern at the moment. The word had triggered a memory in his brain, reminding him of a debt he owed as well.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He laughed a little more, before rolling his eyes. “I owe you something too, Prince.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And what’s that?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Roman Prince, you are the best and most handsome and most valiant of them all,” Virgil said, and he even managed it in one go, still riding high on the euphoria of his laughter. He was sure he would feel embarrassed later.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But, for now, it was Roman who seemed embarrassed. And surprised. His green eyes grew wide, mouth dropping open. In the dim light, Virgil thought maybe his cheeks were growing darker, but it was hard to tell. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“W-what?” Roman managed, sounding faint. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Virgil’s face heated, realizing Roman thought this had come on unprompted. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Our bet in the town?” he said. “Who could spot Dee first? You spotted him, so…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh!” Roman nearly shouted, possibly the loudest sound that library had heard in years. “Oh! Yeah! I knew that!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah,” Virgil said, smiling uneasily himself. Oh gosh, he had made things awkward. Great going, Virgil.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Um. Thanks,” Roman said. Was he shaking? How badly had Virgil freaked the guy out? So much for wanting to be friends. This must have reminded Roman of how much of a freak he was. He would retract his offer, surely. Friends? Them? As if.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No problem,” Virgil breathed, waiting for the inevitable. They sunk into silence, both unsure how to move forward from this.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Roman was too kind to take it back. Should Virgil do it for him?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Before he could formulate how that conversation would go, Roman was shifting next to him, pulling the book he had brought into his lap.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Do you like poetry?” he asked, all traces of awkwardness gone. Virgil looked in both directions, unsure who Roman could be talking to.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>You. Of course you. You are literally the only one here.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Virgil nodded his head. “Yeah, I guess.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Mind if I read aloud then? I feel like it’s always best read that way.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Go ahead,” Virgil said, unperturbed. It actually might be interesting to hear, with Roman being a performer and all. Plus, Virgil really did like poetry. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And, maybe, that’s what friends were for?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>So Roman flipped open the book, paging along until he found something that caught his eye. Virgil watched like a dog confused by the strange happenings of his owner, trying to put together pieces of an activity he’d never seen before. When Roman began to read, Virgil listened attentively, like there’d be a pop quiz he would need to know it all for. As he continued, however, Virgil grew relaxed, more focused on the cadence of Roman’s voice and the imagery of the words.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Roman didn’t perform poetry like Virgil had thought. He almost sang it, in a way–words drawn out louder or softer depending on the poem, the line, the story. His voice lilted and whispered and filled the poem with emotion that wasn’t embodying any character but Roman himself. It wasn’t like watching Roman in front of an audience, but like seeing him in his own bedroom, spinning in his desk chair or painting his nails or curling under his covers on a cold evening or throwing his windows wide on a hot one. It was like looking into Roman in all the small moments Virgil had never had the opportunity to see.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Like a sidewalk, the stem of a rose, the smell of iron.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Virgil leaned against the wall again, looking up at the ceiling. His chest rose and fell with a deep breath.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Though Virgil didn’t know it, outside the shadows crept back to their trees, scared off, for now.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And he didn’t notice when his eyes fell shut and his mind drifted off to sleep, for once without an ounce of trouble.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Roman's head when Virgil told him he was the best and most handsome and most valiant of all: MayDay! You played yourself! You goddamn fool! You absolute buffoon!</p><p>This chapter was actually really nice to write. Not a whole bunch happens, but I really enjoyed having Roman and Virgil interact, come to an understanding on some things, and have a chance to be a bit relaxed in this all. </p><p>Hope you all liked it too, and I'll see you next week for the last chapter in Part 1!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. “All that we see or seem / Is but a dream within a dream.”</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>“All that we see or seem / Is but a dream within a dream.” <br/>- A Dream Within A Dream by Edgar Allan Poe</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Chapter Warnings: Slight identity crisis, general danger, minor sensory deprivation, heights</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>After the ghost town, the others had decided to give Virgil his space. After the library, everything changed. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Virgil was a lot more comfortable with Roman after their little heart-to-heart. While they still bickered, it wasn't in heat or anger anymore. And while they were hardly the best of friends, they were tolerant with one another. They were friends, but in that weird "I'll talk to you in class but probably only nod to you in the hallways" type friends. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>However, their awkward friendship didn't seem to stem from embarrassment or regret, much to Virgil's relief. Roman didn't </span>
  <em>
    <span>avoid</span>
  </em>
  <span> talking to him. If this was a school hallway, Roman wasn't the kind of guy to pretend he didn't know Virgil. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>In the middle of the woods, that awkwardness mostly played out in interactions between the four of them. When they got stuck walking side-by-side, Virgil was constantly wracking his brain for things to say, always coming up empty. Discussing Logan's and Patton's hopeless pining as they watched the two walk ahead could only take up so much time. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>And, as awkward as things were, it didn't stop Virgil's heart from stirring up all sorts of funny business when he glanced Roman's way. God, it was so annoying. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>But Roman wasn't the only one he was warming up to. Patton, for example, was all over Virgil since he'd awkwardly called the boy his friend. There had been no escaping the squeals and jumps and hugs–and Virgil didn't really want to. As real as the pressures of friendship were, his joy when Patton talked to him or rambled off pun after pun was well worth it. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>While still weary of this whole "friendship" thing after Thomas, Virgil couldn't help but feel so… content, so right with Patton. Once he got to know him, they got along as quickly and easily as Virgil had with Thomas. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Then there was Logan. And that was a special case. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>You see, Logan's friendship definitely wasn't easy like Patton's and didn't fall into place after a good talk like Roman's. It took longer, and Virgil was a lot more unsure about it than any of the others. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Strange how Logan was </span>
  <em>
    <span>still</span>
  </em>
  <span> the one he talked to the most. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The two usually lagged behind because Virgil and Logan walked at a normal pace. Roman and Patton played games or challenged each other to climb trees. Virgil had no idea where the energy came from, even if walking in the weird liminal space didn't actually tire them out at all. Virgil was still too tired in his soul, too tired to move like </span>
  <em>
    <span>that</span>
  </em>
  <span>. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>And Logan seemed to agree. So they walked, keeping the path so Roman and Patton didn't lead them around aimlessly. At Logan's advice, they stuck to the river. As long as they kept to the channel, made sure they followed downstream, they wouldn't be going in circles. That was the best they could do, after all, in the given circumstances. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Logan didn't talk much, and Virgil was still too nervous around the guy to speak up. Instead Virgil kept an eye out, in the trees, the bushes, looking for anything that moved. Most importantly, however, he kept one eye on the two ahead. He wouldn't put it past Roman or Patton to get lost in the forest. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The thought made Virgil go cold. Every time. It made him think about the ghost town and Thomas and saying goodbye. It was the last thing they wanted–someone getting lost. Even if Roman and Patton got lost together, Virgil couldn't say they'd ever find each other again. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>But he had found Patton the first time. And they didn't have to worry about falling in a river again. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The glowing, subtly pulsing river that Logan couldn't seem to get enough of. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"There must be an explanation," Virgil would catch him muttering, examining the river as they walked along its shore. Logan would stay deep in thought for a good twenty minutes if unbothered, and Virgil tried not to bother him. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Because, while Logan had admitted there was something wrong with the ghost town, that didn't mean he believed anything about the rest of the forest. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>His persistence was kind of admirable, if not worrisome. Virgil wished </span>
  <em>
    <span>he </span>
  </em>
  <span>could believe in something so admantantly. He couldn't help but wonder if this really was the best way to cope, however, if all Logan was doing was looking the other way. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>And that wasn't the only thing he was willfully ignorant about. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"If you're trying to be very obvious, it's working, man," Virgil said, trying like hell to act natural. Teasing worked with Roman. Maybe it would with Logan.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Today, Patton and Roman were dancing as they hiked through the woods. Virgil was sure that, if on any sort of normal terrain, they would have passed the clearing by now. In a normal forest, turning back the way they’d come should have led them straight to it. Yet they were no closer to finding the clearing, and something told Virgil it was the luck of the draw. These woods weren’t like any other. Logan might not believe it, but there was something else, something unnatural, happening there.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>And, despite it being absolutely otherworldly, it wasn’t Logan’s persistent obliviousness. Called out, Logan averted his gaze from Patton, back to the stream. “What?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“It’s just,” Virgil said, and his eyes darted between Logan and his previous interest, trying to say more with his eyes than words. Virgil wasn’t good at words. “You and Patton.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Logan stiffened, but he continued his pretense. “What about me and Patton?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I can tell you like him?” Virgil said, and it wasn’t not a question, but it was? Because he couldn’t just say that, right? Right?</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Logan’s eyes blew wide, and Virgil couldn’t tell if he’d done this right. Mayday, time to get the hell out of here??</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I suppose you mean I enjoy his company?” Logan asked, and his voice was tight and strained. “It is of no surprise, I think, that I enjoy all of your companies, but I do not see how that is relevant-” his voice was getting quicker and quicker as he went. Virgil cut him off.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Not what I mean, and you know it.” Virgil kicked an acorn on the ground, and it shot into the scattered leaves. Patton and Roman were talking excitedly about something, voices overlapping and shouting exclamations of agreement. “You </span>
  <em>
    <span>like </span>
  </em>
  <span>him, Logan. You should ask him out.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Excuse me, but I think you are mistaken,” Logan said, voice even tighter. He looked away, from Virgil, from the other two, from the river. His posture was stiff. Virgil recognized it. Logan was really upset. “You are implying that I like Patton in a way that is… more complicated than our relationship now, and that is just preposterous. I cannot like Patton in such a way.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh,” Virgil said, and he was aware that he’d crossed a line somewhere. He could have sworn… but of course he was wrong. It wasn’t a new thing that Virgil would misread a situation. “Sorry, Logan. I didn’t mean-”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“My brain simply cannot work that way, if you will understand,” Logan continued. He looked back to the two ahead of them, and there was something there. No, Virgil had to be misreading again- “I do not receive human emotion in the way which most people do. It would be impossible for me to like Patton.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“W-what’s that supposed to mean?” Virgil asked, eyebrows furrowing. Now he was confused. It was one thing to deny feelings for Patton… it was another to deny feelings, altogether.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Love. Not practical, is it?” Logan asked, and it was almost like he’d forgotten Virgil was even there. “Fear I can understand. Anger. Accomplishment. Even when emotions and I do not mix, I do understand the use of many of them. And I do understand love’s uses; I’ve done my research. It has many applications to the human mind. Self-worth; it can lead to reproduction; creates cohesive units which enable people to survive.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“You’re losing me...”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Logan blinked, and he turned to Virgil, frowning. He looked troubled for another second before schooling himself, and another piece seemed to click into place in the puzzle that made up Logan–still, without the full picture, Virgil was having trouble understanding.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Logan, face expressionless, emotionless, faced him, and Virgil saw him in a new light. The guy who claimed to know everything–perfect GPA, class president, flawlessly calm and clear-headed–didn’t actually know everything. Logan was just as lost as the rest of them.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“You don’t understand love?” Virgil asked.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“It’s fickle and strong, revered and shunned; how can any one thing be so… juxtapositionally opposed to itself?” Logan asked, a hint of frustration shining through his newly constructed calm. “To be honest, it is a relief to be immune.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Immune?” Virgil asked. “You think you’re </span>
  <em>
    <span>immune </span>
  </em>
  <span>to </span>
  <em>
    <span>love</span>
  </em>
  <span>?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Of a romantic sense, yes,” Logan nodded. “I seem to still be under platonic obligations, however.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“You mean you’re aromantic?” Virgil asked. “That’s normal, Logan.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I understand that well enough, but thank you very much, Virgil. I appreciate it,” Logan said, and there was warmth in his voice. For once, Virgil almost believed he’d said the right thing. Then, Logan paused. “Liking Patton would simply go against everything I have come to understand about myself.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>This made Virgil’s thoughts stop for a second. He recognized that lost look on Logan’s face. “I get it,” he said, and Logan looked over, apprehensive. Virgil glanced to the trees, trying to get his thoughts together. “Sometimes, it takes so long to understand ourselves that you feel relieved to have finally come to a conclusion, and you think ‘Well, that’s that on that’ and now you can finally move on and things in your life can make sense again.” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Virgil paused, looking back to Logan. He was watching Virgil now like Virgil was an expert, lecturing on some obscure subject matter he’d devoted his life to. Virgil didn’t feel like any sort of expert. He continued anyway. “Then something comes along and makes you question everything again. But, the thing is, people are always changing, evolving; we’re always learning new things about ourselves.” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Identity is a continuum, and it can change at a drop of a hat. Even if it never changes, it’s still a hell of a hard thing to decipher.” Virgil took a breath to steady himself, looking down at the ground as they walked. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d said this much at once. “It’s scary figuring out there’s more to learn about yourself, I guess. Especially when it took so much to learn what you already have. Especially when, after all of that, you’re afraid you could have drawn the wrong conclusions.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“An astute observation,” Logan said. “You are quite versed in this.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Virgil shook his head. “I’ve just thought a lot about it.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“But you’re right,” Logan said which is honestly sort of flattering coming from the guy. “It took me so long to accept I didn’t feel for other people the way it seemed everyone else did. Even after learning what aromanticism was, I was skeptical, but I eased myself into it. It was liberating, to finally understand. Why I never felt all the heart-fluttering, and the urges to hold hands, and want to stare at a person all day long. It all sounded ridiculous. To be honest, I thought our classmates were simply being dramatic with it all. With Patton though…” Logan looked troubled again.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Have you heard of demiromanticism?” Virgil asked.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m sorry?” Logan said, face clearing of his confusion to make room for interest. Even in the middle of an identity crisis, Logan always made room for his curiosity.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Demiromanticism,” Virgil repeated, knowing Logan would want to commit the word to memory. “Basically means you need to know a person before you become romantically attracted to them.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>For a moment, Logan was silent. Virgil continued walking, having said his piece. He presumed Logan was the kind of guy who’d want to think things out, and Virgil could give him that time.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I suppose,” Logan started, thinking on his words as he said them. Virgil patiently looked up, waiting as Logan weighed his response. “I did not always like Patton. I didn’t think twice about him for years, not until we started talking in Key Club.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>When it seemed Logan was done, retreating back into his head, mulling over this new information, moving it all around in his mind for some new sensical configuration, Virgil spoke up.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Then I’d say that’s something you should think about,” he said. “And take your time with it, dude. Even if that’s not the label for you, or you don’t wanna use a label at all, it’s </span>
  <em>
    <span>your </span>
  </em>
  <span>identity and you get to call the shots.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Thank you, Virgil,” Logan said, a contemplative look on his face, this time not in regard to himself. It looked like he was examining Virgil instead. Virgil fought his instinct to hide. “I very much appreciate it.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Virgil shrugged, smiling a bit nervously. Attention wasn’t a comfortable thing for him, but knowing he’d helped the other boy in some way actually… felt really nice.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Those good feelings didn’t last for very long however.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"What is that?" Logan asked suddenly, brows knit in confusion. Virgil stopped, unsure what Logan was talking about.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Until he heard it. Or… didn’t. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Guys…" Patton said from ahead. Roman was next to him, looking around with a bewildered gaze.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The forest had gone quiet–no, not quiet. Silent. A vacuum of space where sound had been stripped away. Only their voices remained, but they were faint, muted like Virgil had put on his favorite headphones and the only sound remaining was the hum of his ceiling fan. Their voices were like the dull cut of wind, stirred from its persistent, tiresome propelling above. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Roman and Patton moved back to them, closing ranks, and Virgil felt safer having them by. Virgil drew closer to Patton, fighting the urge to smack his hands over his ears to make it all go away. But that would do nothing for silence.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Virgil recognized it. He hadn't thought about it since, pushing the overwhelming experience out of thought and out of mind, but, with the memory now whispering its own tune to him, and knowing what he did now, Virgil was sure he understood what this was.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"This happened when I was alone in the woods," he yelled, the silence feeling loud somehow. It was the anxiety affecting his voice, but he didn’t care. At least he wasn’t shaking.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Virgil!" someone exclaimed beside him, then there was a grip around his wrist, and he was yanked forward. Head dizzy with the lack of noise, it took him a moment to zone in on Roman, glaring down at the ground behind Virgil where he had just been standing. Unable to resist, Virgil looked.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The shadows were stretching, tendrils of dark slithering out like the tentacles of an octopus, or the tail of a snake. They reached and reached, but, as far as Virgil could tell, they could reach no further.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Still, he had </span>
  <em>
    <span>just</span>
  </em>
  <span> been standing there. Why was this happening? None of them were alone.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Oh, don't worry about that," a foreign voice joined the fray. "They're just happy to see me."</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>They all spun toward the source. Virgil's eyes widened at the sight of someone new, a sole person in the middle of the woods. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>It was a boy, about their age by the look of it, if not slightly younger. His eyes were wide, excited, but not in a way Virgil was familiar with. It was almost unnatural, the derange in which the boy seemed to take them all in, unblinking, pupils dark pits that dropped down as far as the eye could see. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>His smile was just as wide, like shattered glass. His fingers danced across his sides, tap tap tapping. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"You know, you are a tough bunch to catch up with. Always on the go, aren't you?" the boy said, eyes on each of them in turn, landing lastly on Roman. There was something very childlike in him, like a kid presenting macaroni art to a parent. "But here I am at last. Isn't it great?"</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Are you Sanity?" Patton dared to ask, unsure as he stepped forward. He put on a questioning smile. It took a second for Virgil to match the name from where they’d heard it before.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Huh?" the boy asked, eyes wide in something intense and wonderlike. He giggled, voice too grating to maintain his childlike glee. "You've been talking to Dee, haven't you? No, no, you can call me Remus."</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Remus?" Roman asked, and Remus' gaze caught his once again. He seemed thrilled, clapping his hands in front of him.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Perfect!" he exclaimed, approaching closer to Roman, who, to his credit, didn't even flinch. "And I’ll call you Roman, and we’ll have </span>
  <em>
    <span>lots </span>
  </em>
  <span>of </span>
  <em>
    <span>fun</span>
  </em>
  <span>!” He punctuated these words with finger jabs to Roman’s stomach, which Roman </span>
  <em>
    <span>did </span>
  </em>
  <span>end up flinching away from. Remus just giggled more at the reaction.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>As Roman backed away, Remus simply followed, green eyes as wide as tennis balls. Virgil had never seen Roman so unsettled, yet it looked as though something about Remus hit all of his discomforts. Without thinking–the only way he’d be brave enough for such an endeavor–Virgil stepped between the two. Remus, however, didn’t seem to notice, only stopping short of actually bumping into Virgil’s chest. He continued to look around his shoulder.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Roman, want to play a game?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Are you </span>
  <em>
    <span>trying</span>
  </em>
  <span> to sound like a horror movie?” Roman scoffed, trying to sound unaffected. Virgil could hear the subtle shake to his voice, though.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Hide and seek!” Remus exclaimed, ignoring what Roman said. He raised a hand, and suddenly, Virgil felt like Remus should stop that, like Virgil should stop this before anything else happened. He raised his own hand, going for the boy’s fist that was quickly forming into a snap.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>But he was too late.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>At the sharp click of Remus’ fingers, Virgil’s vision changed. He was no longer looking at the face of the boy, but wide, open air.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Wind battered at his clothes, his hoodie blowing against his sides and out into the open space before him. Virgil’s eyes widened as he took in the massive expanse of a horizon, tree-decked mountain far far away. He begged his brain not to look down, but his eyes were already there.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>With a yell, Virgil felt himself teeter on the edge of the cliff before stumbling back. His heart was a hummingbird as he fell onto his butt, eyes saucers while they continued to dart around the new space. Only a second ago, he had been deep within the woods, side-by-side with Roman, safe among his friends.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Now he was away from it all. Out of the trees. Safe from the shadows and the silence.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>But his friends were still in there. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>And Virgil was on his own.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Remember how last chapter I said I'd post this in a week? Well, that was a lie. Remember how I said it'd be the last chapter in Part One? Another lie!! </p>
<p>I'm sorry this took so long, folks! So much has happened and, well, this took the back burner. I /really/ wanted to get at least one chapter out during the autumn since... well, this is an autumn fic. But it looks like (if I can edit the next chapter in a timely fashion) I'll be able to get two chapters out during the season. The chapter probably would have been fine all as one, but I've been thinking a lot about my chapter lengths recently and this helped not overwhelm me with editing too, so here's another chapter split into two. </p>
<p>I hope you enjoyed! More of the gang and Remus in the next chapter :D</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. “...you must have lost your wits, yeah.”</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>“...you must have lost your wits, yeah.”<br/>- Pumped Up Kicks by Foster the People</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Chapter Warnings: Fear, Vomit mention, Death mention</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>After a slight freak out, Virgil steadied his breathing in order to study the area. There was a cliff before him, that much was obvious. After he fell backwards, he was too unwilling to get closer, so it dropped further than he could tell. All he could see was that visibility disappeared into a thick fog down below. It made him dizzy thinking of the unknown drop he’d been a hair’s breadth away from, less than a shift of his weight to.</p><p> </p><p>He craned his head away from the cliff, trying to focus on his immediate surroundings. The cliff face was stony and gray, hard and gravely beneath his hands. Behind him there were trees. Of course. There were always trees there. Dried and shriveled leaves littered the area that separated the cliff from forest. Virgil touched one of the leaves and the forest reacted immediately, shadows reaching out.</p><p> </p><p>He snatched his hand back. Well, at least now he knew he wasn’t too far off. This was still the forest.</p><p> </p><p>But he couldn’t go back in. Not alone, he couldn’t. He would hear the empty silence again; he would feel that distinct slip, of losing something, of becoming trapped.</p><p> </p><p>Yet, that silence already encroached. Ever since Remus had approached, it had grown stronger, refusing to go away, no matter how closely he stuck to one of the others. Now, alone, it was even stronger, despite not being in the woods. He could see the shadows already stretching towards him, begging for just a touch, beckoning him in. He wouldn’t go in, though. Not alone. He wasn’t that stupid.</p><p> </p><p>Or, maybe…</p><p> </p><p>Where had Remus sent his friends? Were they in there, all alone themselves?</p><p> </p><p>He thought of Thomas. And Joan and Talyn. Getting split, Thomas finding the edge of the forest before his friends, circling town for them, for a sign. Virgil remembered his friend’s regret, the haunted look in Thomas’ eye when he’d come face-to-face with their absent figures.</p><p> </p><p>Virgil had to find the others. Just because he’d been sent outside the woods didn’t mean his friends were that lucky. And Remus seemed to have taken interest in Roman. Did he want to isolate Roman so he became lost to the woods first? Who knew what this guy’s plan was…</p><p> </p><p>The woods were so wide; there was no way Virgil would find his friends before time ran out. But, then, if Virgil kept standing there, his friends would lose what time they had by searching for him too.</p><p> </p><p>They would do the same. They probably were doing the same. He could see them: Patton calling his name, Logan trying to dodge the shadows, Roman covering his ears against the silence. He thought of their souls, lost to the ghost town.</p><p> </p><p>That was it for him, all it took to convince Virgil. At last, his feet moved.</p><p> </p><p>He darted into the forest.</p><p> </p><p>Blindly he raced through the trees, crashing through branches and tripping on tangling shadows. His eyes went here and there, looking for a familiar red tie or taped glasses or the paint in Patton’s hair even the river couldn’t wash out.</p><p> </p><p>Once or twice Virgil was sure he got turned around. He tried another way, and another. Without the river to guide him, he couldn’t be sure if he was going in circles. It all looked the same. Trees upon trees upon trees, tangled in bushes and roots and broken sticks.</p><p> </p><p>He was becoming more lost.</p><p> </p><p>“Shit,” Virgil breathed hard, hands on his knees as he tried to pick another direction. He stayed away from the trees and their shadows, but, at that point, the entire forest was a shadow. He could feel tendrils wrap around his ankles. He yelled, jumping up, back back back--far away from the danger.</p><p> </p><p>“Girl, what <em> is </em>the matter?” a voice sounded behind him, and Virgil yelled again, spinning to face it. There, leaning against a tree, was Remy in sunglasses and a raised eyebrow. “And where are the others?”</p><p> </p><p>“Remy!” Virgil exclaimed, relieved. He wasn’t alone anymore. Maybe the shadows would back off, just a little bit. “We got separated.”</p><p> </p><p>“Separated?” Remy asked, standing up straight. “Oh no. That is <em> not </em>good.”</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah, which is why I’m trying to find them,” Virgil said.</p><p> </p><p>Remy shook his head. “You can’t be in the forest alone.”</p><p> </p><p>“I know,” Virgil said. “Which is why I really need you to stay until I find them,” he practically begged, which he might not have done if not for his screaming fear of the shadows.</p><p> </p><p>“That won’t work, hun,” Remy said. Virgil’s brow furrowed.</p><p> </p><p>“What do you mean?”</p><p> </p><p>“I don’t count. I’m not human, in case you hadn’t noticed.”</p><p> </p><p>Virgil’s eyes went wide. “Not human?”</p><p> </p><p>“Are you serious? I can literally disappear and reappear in places. I control people's sleep,” Remy said, like it was obvious. Virgil frowned.</p><p> </p><p>“I thought you just had magic or something,” he said, but, before Remy could retort, there was a tug at the bottom of Virgil’s jeans. Looking down, Virgil yelled yet again and tried to shake it off. Remy ran over and pulled him back from the shadows that were again crawling towards him.</p><p> </p><p>After, they were both breathing quite heavily, staring at where the shadows had retreated. Virgil cursed under his breath.</p><p> </p><p>“I have to find the others,” he said, stepping out of Remy’s arms and looking around.</p><p> </p><p>“<em> No </em>,” Remy protested, shaking his head. “No no no no no.”</p><p> </p><p>“What?”</p><p> </p><p>“You have to <em> get out of here </em> is what you need to do,” Remy said. “You’ll never find them before the woods claims you.”</p><p> </p><p>“I’m not leaving them alone in here,” Virgil said, and, picking a direction at random, started moving again. Remy followed, still shaking his head.</p><p> </p><p>“No, that’s a <em> real </em> bad idea. Can’t you see yourself? You’ve got real dark shadows under your eyes, babe. And the forest is getting <em> loud </em>.”</p><p> </p><p>Virgil sighed, now annoyed. “I don’t care. If you aren’t going to help, you can leave.” Virgil paused, then frowned. “And what do you mean loud?”</p><p> </p><p>Remy went silent. When Virgil looked over, he simply shook his head. “Just<em> listen to me </em>, babe.”</p><p> </p><p>Virgil’s fist clenched. </p><p> </p><p>Was Remy even trying to help them? Thomas had said he was the one to tell him about the clearing, how to escape the forest. Yet he’d never mentioned that to Virgil.</p><p> </p><p>Virgil stalked away. That was a problem for another day. For now, he had to find his friends. </p><p> </p><p>He continued to dodge along the nonexistent path, jumping over roots and shadows. He didn’t look behind him, but he knew Remy was still following. He could practically hear him trying to come up with a new protest.</p><p> </p><p>As they went along, it became worse and worse. Instead of silence, Virgil began experiencing a loud ringing in his ears, and his vision was going darker. Like the forest itself was engulfed in shade, like nightfall was upon them. Which shouldn’t have been possible. It had just been morning.</p><p> </p><p>He looked up at the sky between the trees. Still bright. He looked down at the path. Still dark.</p><p> </p><p>“Virgil?” Remy asked, but Virgil kept walking. The trees were passing slower now. That ringing was getting loud.</p><p> </p><p>“Virg-” Remy tried again, but Virgil had stopped. There was something wrapped up his legs, reaching for his arms. He could barely see anymore; the path was so shaded. “<em> Shit </em>.”</p><p> </p><p>Then, he felt it. Two fingers, the soft pads applying a firm pressure to the back of his neck.</p><p> </p><p>Virgil couldn’t form coherent thought.</p><p> </p><p>One moment, everything was ringing. The next, silence was back.</p><p> </p><p>He never thought he’d be grateful to hear that silence.</p><p> </p><p>-/-</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> Remy was sitting next to him, and Virgil was laying in the dirt. There wasn’t really anywhere else he could have gone. </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> It was obvious Virgil was asleep, from his closed eyes and peaceful face, the slow rise and fall of his chest. Remy looked over him, eyes darting from his figure, carefully placed upon the ground, to the trees surrounding them. It was brighter than it had been, the shadows having retracted from the scene. It was quieter too. Without the ringing, there was only the rustling of leaves as the wind blew by. </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> So Virgil had to be conscious for the forest to affect him, huh? Remy must have made him fall asleep then. It was protection, for now. </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> Attention shifted from the area around them, and Virgil was rushing through the trees, leaving Remy and himself behind, like the perspective was a camera which could detach itself. It wound this way and that, all in a sure, invisible marked path, until it arrived in another copse of trees not far from there. </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> There, a figure was leaning against a tree trunk. He yelled out and leapt away from it as a shadow brushed his leg.  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> He adjusted his glasses, ran a hand through paint-matted hair, wiped at a few tears that strayed. </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> “I have to find them,” he whimpered and looked this way and that, picking a direction at random, just like Virgil had done. The ringing had already started for the boy, and it grew louder around him. </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> He tripped. When he looked back, he couldn’t find a root or a rock, only the beaten dirt path. His eyes widened with fear and he tried to jump up. Something tugged him down. On his other ankle, a shadow was clutching to him tightly, like a vine, ready to dig its thorns in. </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> He screamed. </em>
</p><p> </p><p>-/-</p><p> </p><p>Virgil jolted awake to the sound of Patton’s scream still ringing in his head. He jumped up and found Remy gawking at him.</p><p> </p><p>“You can’t wake up yet,” he said, shocked and confused, but Virgil didn’t care. He turned around and sprinted through the trees, ignoring Remy’s protests. “Wait! Virgil!”</p><p> </p><p>Virgil crashed through the trees, following a winding path that he could only understand by some imaginary string of fate and dreams. With some sense of deja vu, he swatted branches out of the way, arriving at a circle of trees, Patton kneeling in the center. Virgil stopped, surprised he had found the other so easily, breath catching in the cold air, freezing his throat on the way down. Then Patton shivered, looking about ready to hurl his stomach over the forest floor.</p><p> </p><p>Virgil surged forward, kneeling by Patton’s side. Patton’s face was hidden in his hands, and he seemed to have collapsed to his knees, face inches from the dirt. “Patton,” Virgil breathed out, hands hovering before he snatched them back.</p><p> </p><p>At the sound of his voice, Patton’s head snapped up, face emerging to stare at Virgil with wide eyes. “Virgil?” he asked, and his voice was wrecked. His cheeks were wet in messy fashion.</p><p> </p><p>“I’m here,” Virgil said. It was the most important thing–that he was there now. Patton wasn’t alone, wasn’t as susceptible to the forest. Patton’s tears only renewed, however, and he launched himself at Virgil, clinging tightly to the front of his shirt. Virgil froze before forcing his muscles loose, bringing his own hands to place at the other’s back. Taking this as some sort of permission, Patton hid his face in Virgil’s shoulder. He was still shaking badly.</p><p> </p><p>“Patton,” Virgil whispered, looking about the forest once for threats before focusing again on the task. “What’s something you can feel?”</p><p> </p><p>Patton hiccuped, shaking his head. A larger sob broke out from Virgil’s shoulder.</p><p> </p><p>“It’ll help,” Virgil said, and he hoped that wasn’t a lie. “Please?”</p><p> </p><p>“O-okay,” Patton said, voice muffled. He took a second to think, then, “Your jacket.”</p><p> </p><p>“Great,” Virgil said with a mixture of relief and gratitude. “What can you smell?”</p><p> </p><p>“Your jacket,” Patton said again, and Virgil frowned. Was he allowed to do that? “It smells like you. Like sharpie and the leaves we’ve been sleeping on.”</p><p> </p><p>“Okay,” Virgil nodded. “You’re doing good, Patton. Can you hear anything?”</p><p> </p><p>Suddenly, Patton sat up, startling Virgil. He dropped his arms immediately, watching as Patton wiped at his face, looking down at his knees. “Sorry,” he said, a slump to his shoulders. “I’m fine now. Thank you, Virgil.”</p><p> </p><p>“But-” Virgil went to protest. Patton shook his head. </p><p> </p><p>“Really, kiddo,” he said, then looked up, smiling. If it wasn’t for the splotchy mess his face was, you wouldn’t have known he’d been upset. “I’m perfectly alright!” he said with false cheer. “Sorry. The woods must have gotten to me.”</p><p> </p><p>What- what was Virgil supposed to do now? On the one hand, Patton seemed fine, had pulled himself together and smacked on a face like he'd never been crying in the first place. </p><p> </p><p>On the other… Patton seemed anything but fine.</p><p> </p><p>There were cracks in his facade, ticks Virgil had noticed before but never considered. It wasn't happiness, no. It was something bigger and more fragile.</p><p> </p><p>"But-" he tried. Virgil was unsure what to do. Why couldn't he ever be useful in situations like this? Patton needed his help. </p><p> </p><p>Virgil couldn't. Patton rose to his feet and reached a hand down to him. When they were eye level again, Patton said, "We need to find Roman and Logan, right?" </p><p> </p><p>Virgil could only nod mutely to the boy. </p><p> </p><p>He stared on in shocked wonder as Patton dragged him along. Neither boy was plagued any longer by the shadows in the trees. The dull ringing had returned, but it wasn’t as strong now. They had each other, and that helped. </p><p> </p><p>All this time, he'd thought he'd know Patton. Every cheery hello in the hallways, his kind earnest eyes, those soft touches when he’d smoothed a bandage to Virgil’s face. </p><p> </p><p>But that was simply a part of the boy before him. How had Virgil not seen that there was so much more? </p><p> </p><p>"I don't know which way we're going," Patton admitted nervously, a small chuckle in his voice. Why? Why did he do that? </p><p> </p><p>Why wouldn't Patton simply be scared? Be sad? </p><p> </p><p>“I don’t know either,” Virgil mumbled, biting his lip. Once again, he was full of questions he did not have the time for. Just because he and Patton had each other now, didn’t mean Roman and Logan had found one another. They could still be in danger of getting lost to the woods.</p><p> </p><p>When something touched his hand, Virgil jumped, visions of shadows and familiar leering faces flashing through his mind. He spun only to be met with Patton's sheepish face, holding his hand back. </p><p> </p><p>"Sorry," he whispered, trying to smile and, for once, coming poorly short. "I just thought- I don't want us getting lost and-" </p><p> </p><p>Horribly, Virgil realized Patton was close to tears again. A small surge of panic overtook him, and he froze. </p><p> </p><p>Then he lifted his hand, offered it. Patton, rapidly blinking away the moisture in his eyes, stared at it. </p><p> </p><p>"You're right," Virgil said. "We don't want to get lost." </p><p> </p><p>Even if it wasn't strictly to stay together, Virgil couldn't protest. Not with that broken look in Patton's eye, quickly masked again as the boy shook himself out. Not when Patton gripped his hand, and Virgil felt a little safer too. </p><p> </p><p>Virgil took lead, winding once again through trees at random. Whenever his mind reminded him how big the forest was, how winding and impossible it was to get anywhere, how they may never find Logan or Roman again-</p><p> </p><p>Virgil squeezed the hand in his and reminded himself he wasn't alone. If he could find Patton, he would find the others too. </p><p> </p><p>He had to… </p><p> </p><p>A couple more steps and Virgil paused. Patton made a noise of surprise behind him, but didn't protest. </p><p> </p><p>Around them, trees were lush, full of leaves singing their last goodbyes before winter took. The colors seemed to celebrate life at its end, oranges and yellows of its happiness, browns of its comforts, reds of the struggles triumphed. They waved farewell to their brittle family that littered the path. Virgil couldn't imagine it–a great community all going to their end with each other. </p><p> </p><p>What if that was life? If we were born with everyone we would ever know. We'd grow up with the same faces and walk hand-in-hand to the winter of our lives. </p><p> </p><p>Virgil imagined all the faces <em> he'd </em> known in his life. Rarely was there anyone new in their small town. When someone passed, everyone mourned. Maybe they <em> were </em> like leaves. </p><p> </p><p>But to walk to the end together? To face an end you had no control of but at least in it together with your neighbor and friend, sister and brother. </p><p> </p><p>Virgil thought of dying alongside someone he cared for. Imagined lying down right here, among these leaves, next to Patton…</p><p> </p><p>Could it bring solace? Comfort? To not go into that unknown alone? </p><p> </p><p>Virgil couldn't imagine it–couldn't imagine not being terrified. </p><p> </p><p>He would cry for his friend. He would curse the world for not giving Patton longer. Virgil couldn't be comforted by a thing like that because, where he might be gone without a trace, the world wouldn't be the same without Patton. </p><p> </p><p>"Virgil?" Patton's voice, soft and hoarse, sounded behind him. Virgil turned, saw Patton's curious face. </p><p> </p><p>There was ringing in his ears again. He flinched away from the sound, but Patton showed no reaction. </p><p> </p><p>Virgil turned, now looking to the ground, not for leaves but shadows. And they were there.</p><p> </p><p>Strong, long and twisting and excited. They were reaching away, further into the woods. Looking for something–someone. </p><p> </p><p>"This way," Virgil said gruffly, then tugged on Patton to follow. Picking up the pace, they made their way in the direction the shadows were reaching. The ringing grew louder, but still remained muted. Virgil couldn't begin to fathom why he heard it in the first place. He had Patton with him. </p><p> </p><p>Finally, they pushed through one last thicket and found themselves in a darker part of the woods. Trees were dense around them, but more leaves had dropped, giving at least a bit more room in that respect. The shadows, however, were heavy. </p><p> </p><p>The brightest things in the area were a red tie and a rather unhinged grin. </p><p> </p><p>"Roman," Virgil breathed, unaware he'd even been holding it in. He was relieved–not completely, not until they had Logan too–but Roman's presence was like a dip of cool water. Slightly shocking, but an almost reverent experience. </p><p> </p><p>Neither occupant reacted to the boy's name. In fact, they stood face-to-face, a determined set to both of their eyes. Roman's looked pained, but Remus… he still looked so happy, so completely ecstatic over something, and it was a bit frightening to see. </p><p> </p><p>Roman blinked. Remus burst into a cackling fit, clapping his hands in glee. "I win!" </p><p> </p><p>"Bring them back," Roman growled, eyes screwing shut in a grimace. His protest was weak, and Virgil could hear the ringing circling him. What a strange noise, when a sound itself seemed to target something. Virgil didn't understand what he was hearing. </p><p> </p><p>He did know one thing though, and it was that they needed to get closer to Roman. Whoever this Remus guy was, he wasn't keeping the shadows at bay. </p><p> </p><p><em> I don’t count. I’m not human, in case you hadn’t noticed </em>, Remy’s voice rang in his ears. </p><p> </p><p>Virgil shoved yet more questions he had no time for aside. He stalked into the clearing, finally gaining the attention of Roman at least. The relief in the boy's eyes was immediate. </p><p> </p><p>Remus, however, still wasn't paying any mind, as if the only thing he could see, could hear, was Roman standing in front of him. He was like a puppy, vying for the attention of his owner. The speed in which Remus had latched onto Roman made Virgil uneasy, like Remus was a ticking time bomb, ready to go off as soon as something went wrong. </p><p> </p><p>Virgil stepped between Roman and Remus, effectively blocking his friend and giving him a bit of space to breathe. The ringing stuttered out, quick this time, as if afraid. Virgil wasn't going to question it. </p><p> </p><p>Remus tried to ask another question, head craning itself around Virgil as best he could. The guy hadn't even looked at Virgil when he'd stepped in, too fixated on the nonsensical conversation he was trying to hold. When Virgil blocked him again, moving into Roman's line of sight, Remus finally looked at him. </p><p> </p><p>Virgil tried to stand tall, folding his arms in front of him, squaring his shoulders, and setting his mouth to a firm line. He wasn't normally all that intimidating–his glowers in the school halls only worked if you didn't look too hard–but he had to stand up for his friend. Virgil had to get this guy away from Roman because Roman looked ready to scream. </p><p> </p><p>When Remus fixed him with his gaze, though, Virgil could feel his glare waver, shifting to one part confusion, one part fear. With clear green eyes, Remus tilted his head up at Virgil. </p><p> </p><p>"It's you," he said. </p><p> </p><p>Virgil didn't like that. </p><p> </p><p>"You're shorter than I thought you'd be." </p><p> </p><p>Virgil really didn't like that. </p><p> </p><p>"And how do you know me?" Virgil asked, shifting his stance to rest on one leg, trying to come off as challenging. Remus didn't seem phased. </p><p> </p><p>"The Wood talks about you often." </p><p> </p><p>"M-me?" Virgil stuttered. Talking about <em> him </em>? Why him? Virgil wasn't someone to talk about, someone to notice. </p><p> </p><p>He didn't even know where to start with Remus' statement, but he didn't have to. "Hey," Patton spoke up, stepping forward. </p><p> </p><p>The two of them stood side-by-side now, blocking Roman from Remus' view. Virgil was still confused, but they all turned to Patton who seemed confident, demanding. Virgil had never seen him like that before. </p><p> </p><p>"Where is Logan?" he asked. A stone, cold and heavy, dropped in Virgil's gut. <em> Logan </em>. "Where did you send him?" </p><p> </p><p>Remus wasn't looking at Patton. He wasn't even looking at Virgil anymore. Instead, his eyes were back on Roman, tucked away behind them. He was frowning. </p><p> </p><p>"You guys are done playing," he said, sounding disappointed at the fact. "Okay. We can play more later." </p><p> </p><p>"Wha-" Patton started, but, before he could get it out, Remus' wide grin was back, stretched like taffy across his face. </p><p> </p><p>He waved to Roman. "Bye." </p><p> </p><p>And then he disappeared. They all stood for a minute, eyes glued to the spot. No one said a word. </p><p> </p><p>What…. was that? </p><p> </p><p>Virgil couldn't quite process what had just happened. Not the boy or his crazed expressions or sending them across the forest or odd fixation with Roman. Not running into Remy, not the strange dream he'd had under Remy's magic-induced sleep. Not finding Patton, shaking and afraid, not the mask Patton dawned as soon as he gained control. Not what Remus had said about the forest. </p><p> </p><p>Then Patton turned to them, and Virgil was knocked out of his reverie. Brought back to the present, he was made aware of the stress and the fear and the worry behind Patton's eyes. </p><p> </p><p>Virgil's stone of worry grew heavier in his gut. He knew something was very wrong. He knew they had to act quick. Virgil's hands balled into nervous fists when Patton opened his mouth. </p><p> </p><p>"We need to find Logan." </p><p> </p><p><span class="u"><b>End of Part One</b></span>  </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Another autumn update! What a good way to wrap up part one :D<br/>So the song in the chapter title is quite different than the others. I weighed adding this song to the playlist when I was first making it about a year ago, but I knew I had to. I kept imagining the completely horrifying feeling of hearing this song played on a tinny radio while Virgil's running through the forest. So when I split this chapter and needed another quote, I looked to this song and found this. And I think it goes pretty well with the ending of the chapter.<br/>Hope you all liked it! Thanks so much for reading and have a good day!</p>
        </blockquote><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>If you want to hear my playlist for this fic, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLsQ0Ho4hiaokuajeiN8zQB6ni5jJovBvm">check here!</a></p><p>If you want to find me on Tumblr, where I post updates, recommend fics, take requests, and whatever else, <a href="https://codevassie.tumblr.com/">check here!</a></p></blockquote></div></div>
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